Skyrim sixteen years later
by shiorioji
Summary: This is set in Skyrim sixteen years after the death of the Dragonborn from the game. The dragons are gone and peace has, for the most part, returned to Skyrim. The Dragonborn, having fulfilled his destiny, no longer exists. However, the need for a new one might soon surface.
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note: This is my first real fanfic so...yeah. Rated for mild violence that will get worse in later chapters (though it won't be too bad) and some references to homosexuality that also may get worse in later chapters (though again, nothing too bad).

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Elder Scrolls series or anything in Skyrim except my O.C. characters, Ja'grano, Ma'shira, Dekath, and Veshema.**

My name is Ma'shira. From my name, you can probably tell that I'm a Khajiit. I moved to Skyrim from Elsweyr when I was only a cub. Well, being fifteen I'm still technically a cub but I don't consider myself one. My parents died when the Argonians invaded about ten years ago, thus why I moved here with the Khajiit trading caravan, which I now work for. Although we fought them off, we're still at war with them. To be honest, I have no idea why. I think it's something to do with religion. It always is. Anyway, my job in the caravan is to go to all the towns and make as much profit as possible. However, I actually go in them, not just sit outside like the others. The only place I have trouble in is Windhelm. It's full of egotistic and judgmental Nords who hate anything that isn't human. It doesn't help that I'm a Khajiit, since most Nords seem to think that all of us are thieves or skooma dealers. Some are, yes but they seem to forget that applies to Nords as well. However, the Dark Elf who runs one of the shops is always nice to me and she does her best to help out. She has a rough time too so I suppose she just feels bad for me. Unfortunately, that's where I'm going now.

Sighing, I walk into Windhelm. It's snowing as usual but my fur keeps me warm. I laugh silently at the Nords who have to wear thick jackets or armor to not die. Oh, don't think I'm prejudiced. Not all Nords are bad. In fact, the Jarl is very nice. After the Imperials killed Ulfric Stormcloak, the new Jarl has welcomed all races into the city and gets any Nord who is picking on me or anyone to back off, if he's passing by (which he somehow is ninety percent of the time).

"Hey, cat!" says a voice behind me. I roll my eyes and turn around. There is a group of Nords standing behind me, looking smug as usual.

"Interested in buying something?" I asked, since my job requires it. I knew they didn't want to but if Ja'grano (head of the caravan) found out I didn't ask, he would most likely kill me.

They laughed. "No. We don't want to buy your crap. We want that circlet you're wearing" said one of them. My eyes widened. My circlet? That was given to me by my mother days before she died. It was made from gold, emeralds and diamonds, so naturally it was quite valuable. However, I had never even considered selling it; much less give it to a group of idiotic battle-obsessed buffoons.

"I'm sorry, this isn't for sale. However, I have other circlets if you are willing to buy. The best one is gold and ruby, costing five hundred Septims" I said, attempting to feign politeness. They laughed again.

"Did I say we want to buy it? I said we _want_ it, cat. So give it to us if you don't want to end up hurt"

My hand impulsively reached for the dagger at my waist. I was very good with it, but I knew I could never hurt them, even if I tried. To me, it was for self-defense and that's it.

"What is going on here?" said a deep voice to my left. A man with long blond hair, a beard, a war axe on his side and wearing heavy armor walked up to us and looked at the Nords.

"Are you giving this Khajiit trouble again?" the Jarl asked sternly. They all shook their heads.

"Uh...no, Jarl. We were...trying to buy something and he refused us service. He-"

"Enough! Stop lying to me or I'll have the guards throw you into jail! Now, get going and don't harass this Khajiit again!" he ordered. The annoyed men walked off, muttering under their breath. The Jarl turned to me.

"Are you all right?" he asked gently. I nodded.

"I am fine, sir. Thanks. I doubt they would dare hurt me but knowing Nords, they cannot resist the urge to take a swing at something. No offense" I said quickly. He simply laughed.

"It is alright, boy. I just wish the Dragonborn was here to help me with this..." he sighed, running a hand through what little hair he had left.

"The Dragonborn? What is that?"

"You don't know? The Dragonborn, or Dovahkiin in the dragon language, is someone that has been blessed by the gods with the body of a mortal and the soul of a dragon. These individuals are able to focus their energy into a Thu'um, or a Shout. For example," the man stopped talking and looked towards the sky.

"FUS...RO DAH!" he shouted. A blast of what looked like blue energy shot towards the sky with a sound like an explosion. It dissipated shortly and he looked back at me.

"That was Unrelenting Force. It is used to blast away anything in your path. Now, I am not Dragonborn so I cannot learn Shouts as easily as he or she can. I have spent about twenty years perfecting this shout and it is the only one I know. However, any Nord can learn to do this but it is not known if any other race can. Anyway, the last one was a Khajiit, like you. Oddly, his name was Ma'shira, also like you. He was about twenty-four. He said he was captured crossing the border into Skyrim and was going to be executed but a dragon showed up and destroyed the town. After that, he became the most powerful man in Skyrim. He lead the Dark Brotherhood, was the Listener (in other words, the Night Mother spoke to him and him alone. The Night Mother was basically the wife of Sithis), was the Guild Master of the Thieves' Guild, he was the Harbinger of the Companions, a Thane in all nine holds, the Arch-Mage of the College of Winterhold, A Legate in the Imperial Army, and some people say he was even the champion of all the Daedra, as well as working for a few of the gods themselves. He was also a fierce warrior and a powerful mage, taking on armies of Drauger, or undead Nords, and even several dragons at a time while living to tell about it. Those were just a few reasons people respected him. They say if you made him mad...you'd have four people after you: a blood thirsty assassin, a thief who can blend into the shadows, a cat-like mage who can control the lightning and a female warrior who is as savage as a wolf with her bow"

I was shocked. A Dragonborn...and he was a Khajiit? He even had my name...Why did I never hear of him in Elsweyr? Surely this would be big news to us. Besides, why did he never help us in the war? Such a powerful man could have helped us win by now.

When I asked where he was now, the old Nord sighed.

"I am sorry to say that he is dead. He died about sixteen years ago. There was a group of dragons that were attacking Windhelm. Unfortunately, they were all Legendary Dragons, the most powerful kind. He was able to kill them all but it took its toll on him. It cost him too much energy and he Shouted so much in a short span of time he tore apart his body. He died the next day. When he died, a group of strange men and women dressed in black and wearing hoods took his body and walked off without saying a word. Nobody knows where his body is now"

I was stunned. This was amazing...I was hoping to meet him but I guess that won't happen now. Ah well. If he was alive I might have met him on my travels with the caravan...wait...the caravan!

"Oh, sorry! I must be going! I have business to attend to! Thank you for your help earlier!" I said, waving to the Jarl as I ran off towards the market. I passed a few Nords who called out "Hey cat, why don't you run on all fours? You'll be faster!" but I ignored them and kept running until I got to the shop run by the Dark Elf.

"Hello Niranye" I said, setting down the bag of merchandise I had brought. She smiled.

"Hello Ma'shira. How are you?"

"I am well. Yourself?"

"I am well. Now, what did you bring today?" she asked, opening the bag and pulling out the items.

"The most valuable thing we have is a gold and ruby circlet. We also have a few enchanted weapons and some armor" I said, leaning against the stall. She pulled out the circlet and examined it.

"Hmm...enchanted, is it? Yes...fortify sneaking, I believe. This makes it worth about...hmm...seven hundred and twenty Septims"

I was confused. "Uh...the circlet is not enchanted"

Niranye grinned and put the circlet on a table with strange blue runes on it. There was a flash of light and she came back.

"What are you talking about? Of course it is" she said, putting it on and walking around a bit. Her footsteps were almost completely muffled. "See?"

I grinned as well. "Thank you Niranye. The caravan will be happy to gain more money from this"

She shook her head. "The caravan doesn't know this is enchanted remember? I want you to keep the extra two hundred and twenty Septims. You've always been polite and given me a good price for your wares. You've earned it"

"No, I could not! That is not how the caravan works. I appreciate it but I simply cannot accept free money"

"Then take it as payment for you being so nice to me"

I sighed. There was no arguing with this woman, something I found out the hard way the first time I came here and I tried to get a few extra Septims out of her for an enchanted weapon.

"Alright. Thank you very much" I said, pocketing the gold and putting the rest of the money in the bag I had brought with me.

I remembered what the Jarl had said to me earlier. Maybe Niranye would know something.

"Niranye? May I ask you something?"

"Mm" she said, still examining the other things I brought with me (at the moment, it was an Elven Dagger that we had found the other day).

"Do you remember someone else called Ma'shira? He was a Dragonborn"

She paused for a moment, sighed and put down the dagger. "Yes, I remember him. I was unhappy to see him go. He was a good person, though we never talked much. Whenever he came to Windhelm, which wasn't often, he'd come by to see me. I'd give him a good price on most of his items. To be honest, I don't even know where he found most of it...probably in ancient Nord crypts and burial grounds. He was well known for exploring dangerous places like that. Why do you ask?"

I looked away slightly. "Oh...uh...no reason" I muttered. In reality, I asked because I was hoping that the Jarl only thought he died. Surely someone like him doesn't just _die_. I figured that Niranye would know something, seeing as she hears many things running a store.

"It really is sad...according to prophecy, he was the last Dragonborn" she muttered sadly. I asked her what she meant, but she paused for a moment before answering.

"The Elder Scrolls...you know what those are don't you? They say that when the dragon Alduin, also known as the World Eater, rises up again, the Last Dragonborn will appear and defeat him once and for all. This was fulfilled when Ma'shira killed Alduin. However, I suppose the Gods have decided there is no need for another Dragonborn since Alduin is dead and all the dragons are gone as well. He was the last one for all eternity" she explained. Wow...it's a great story...I just wish I could have met him.

"Well, that's it. I don't have any more money I can give you. Come back sometime soon, alright?" she said, bringing me away from my thoughts.

"Oh...yes, of course. Thank you. Goodbye" I said. I waved to her and began walking out of the city. I passed the annoying group of Nords again and tried to ignore their taunts. One of them came up to me.

"Hey there, cat. We just thought we'd teach you how things are done in Windhelm when outsiders come in" he said, somewhat bitterly but with an odd smile. Before I knew what was happening, I felt a sharp pain in my back and I fell over unconscious.


	2. Chapter 2

Author's note: I just sat down in front of my computer and the next thing I knew there were like 24 pages in front of me...I didn't know I could write so quickly. Well anyway, if this is popular enough I'll put up the other chapters. As usual, please review.

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Elder Scrolls series or anything in Skyrim except my O.C.s, Ja'grano, Ma'shira, Dekath, and Veshema.**

Hours later, I woke up. The Nords were standing in front of me, leering. I sat up and looked around. We were in an alley, though I wasn't sure where since I had never been to this part of Windhelm before. The only way I knew I was still in town was because of the snow.

"Look, he's waking up" said one of them, pointing. A large Nord who looked like the leader crouched down in front of me.

"You're awake, huh? Good. Now we can hear your screams as we finish you off" he said, backing up slightly. Two of the men pointed their bows at me. I assume that was what hit me earlier on. Oddly, I felt no pain from it. When I reached my hand to my back, there was no wound. I guess they healed it so they could cause more pain or something.

"Hold on" said one of them. He was wearing a dark hood that covered his eyes. The alley was too dark, so even with my Night Eye, I could barely see his face. "I have an idea" he whispered to the leader, who then nodded and grinned.

"Well, boy, we won't kill you just yet. We'll give you a little...gift first" said the leader. He nodded at the hooded man, who then pulled it back so I could see his face. I gasped as I realized what he was. He had red eyes, pale skin, and when he grinned at me, I saw long fangs. He was a vampire.

He sat down in front of me and began stroking my face, the creep.

"I've never had blood from a Khajiit before...least of all one as young as you" he said quietly. Knowing what he was about to do, I got up and tried to run away. Thankfully, I have the speed of a cat so it's not like they could catch me. However, before I could, a wall of thick ice rose up in front of me, blocking my escape. This is why I never really liked mages...

"Nowhere to run, kitty" he said. I backed up against the wall and pulled out the dagger. He took it from me and slashed it across my chest three times, causing me to scream in pain. Ignoring my shouts, he grabbed my shoulders. I tried to ignore my pain and escape again but the man bit into my neck, stopping me from moving. The bite itself didn't hurt that badly. I mean, of course it hurt but not as badly as I thought it would.

He let go of me and I fell to the ground. I started to feel sick and really weak, adding to the immense pain. I was also out of breath so I could not speak. I was not sure if this was from the bite or the wounds. I could only lie there and hope to get better.

The vampire laughed. "You've got three days, kid. After that...well, you become like me and there is no cure. Well, there isn't one even now but you know what I mean. See you in three days, cat" he laughed as he walked away. With his back turned to them, they gave him an evil look and seemed disgusted. If I had to guess, they only hung around him because they were afraid. They followed, leaving me on the ground with no energy and feeling awful. "_I don't want to die...I...don't...want to..._" Those were my last thoughts before I fell into nothingness once more.

I woke up but kept my eyes closed. I still felt a little sick but not as much anymore. Oddly, instead of feeling cold stone beneath me, I felt soft cloth. It was warm where I was and I faintly heard a fireplace nearby. Reluctantly, I opened my eyes. I was lying in a soft bed in a house. There was a fire roaring about twenty feet away in another room. There was someone sitting in the chair across from my bed. Still weak, I looked over at it, hoping it wasn't a Nord. It wasn't. It was the one race worse than a Nord; an Argonian; specifically, a teenage Argonian male, about my age and height.

"Oh, good. You're up" he said, walking over to me. I sat up, noticing that my shirt had been removed and there were many scars across my chest, though I felt no pain. He looked at me apologetically. "Sorry about the scars, the healers could only do so much. We thought of contacting the College of Winterhold for help but they wouldn't have been able to get here in time"

I stared at him, wondering why he was helping me. "...why? You're an Argonian...I'm a Khajiit. You're supposed to hate me, aren't you?" I asked. He shook his head.

"No. Well, yes but...look...I do hate you. Not personally but...your people have caused my friends to be killed...but my father...well, adopted father, does not hate you. He's the one who brought you here and told me to take care of you" He smiled somewhat bitterly "and that if I let my grudges get in the way of that, he'd send me to freeze on the Throat of the World"

I sighed. "Can you bring your father here?" I asked. He nodded and began walking out the door. Before he could go, I called out "wait! What's your name?"

He stopped and without looking at me, replied "Veshema. You?"

"Ma'shira"

With that, he walked out, leaving me alone. I wonder how many days had passed...wait...days...oh no...the Vampirism...

A man walked into the room, followed by Veshema. He looked fairly young, about in his late thirties.

"Ah, so you're awake?" he said, smiling. "My name is Dekath. I found you in an alley, cut up pretty bad. I brought you here and told Veshema to take care of you" he explained gently.

I asked him why, but he took his time in responding.

"...well...you...remind me of someone I knew..." he mumbled quietly.

"Who?" I asked. Dekath asked Veshema to leave and he sat down on the bed next to me.

"His name was Ma'shira. Perhaps you've heard of him? After all, you share the same name"

I nodded. "You knew him?"

"Yes...quite well, actually...we were...we were very close..." he muttered, turning slightly red. I didn't know Argonians could blush. Huh...guess you learn something new every day.

"Ah, I see" I said, grinning.

He sighed. "We met when he had come to Windhelm one day. He saw a group of Nords harassing me, telling me to get back to the docks even though I didn't work there. He stepped in and told them if they didn't go away, he'd set them on fire. I think he was serious too. After they found out who he was, they backed off and we were good friends since then. I actually spent nearly two years with him exploring Nordic crypts and dangerous places like that. We almost got ourselves killed every time...or rather, I'd nearly get killed and he would have to save me but there were a few times when the opposite happened. I remember one time when we were in a crypt we saw a Drauger Overlord sitting on the throne. It got up as we approached and it had an ebony war hammer so naturally it was difficult to beat. That was the one time neither of us got hurt that badly. If I remember correctly, it had some very valuable things on it. Anyway, we spent most days like this. Unfortunately...a few years later...the dragons came and..." he stopped here, looking away. I understood though.

"I see...I'm sorry to hear that...it's hard to lose someone you love..." I said quietly. "But I'm sure he wouldn't want you to be sad"

Dekath nodded. "Well, off that depressing subject. Let's get you something to eat. Fish? Milk?" he said, smiling. I rolled my eyes.

"Ha ha, very funny. No, I'll eat almost anything but before you do that...how long have I been here?"

He thought for a moment. "Hmm...let's see...about three days I think. Now, no more talking. Save your energy. I'll get you something to eat"

My eyes widened as he left the room. Obviously, I hadn't turned yet because someone would have said something but how much longer did I have? As soon as that thought was finished, I started to gain more strength. I no longer felt weak. In fact, I felt like I could do anything at all...

I quickly jumped out of bed and ran over to the mirror that was on the opposite wall. My eyes filled with tears as I saw what I had become. A pale Khajiit boy with tear filled, red eyes and long, sharp fangs that went past his lower lip stared back at me.

"No...I...don't want to be this..." I cried quietly. I sat down on my bed again and buried my face in my hands as Dekath came back in holding a plate of food.

"Here, I thought you would like...Ma'shira? What's wrong?" he asked, worried. I slowly lifted my face from my hands. When he saw my eyes, pale face and fangs, he dropped the plate, causing food to go everywhere across the floor.

"...no-you-not...again..." he stuttered quietly. I looked at him curiously but he ignored me and fell onto his knees, looking as though he was in shock.

"...Dekath...? You alright...?" I asked him. He stared at me for a few seconds then regained himself.

"...yeah...I'm fine...it's just...look, I'm going to tell you something about Ma'shira nobody else knows so don't tell anyone, ok?" he said. I nodded and he sat down on the bed again.

"...you see...Ma'shira...he was a vampire too, but not just any average one. He was a Vampire Lord, literally. He led the Volkihar Vampires, the most powerful ones in Skyrim who tried to destroy the sun until he took over and stopped them. In other words, he had unmatched power and abilities. Those were some of his underlings that came to get his body, though even I don't know why" he explained. I was in shock. Ma'shira was a vampire...? Was this how he was so powerful...?

Before I could think any further, a voice shouted through the house "Dragon! A dragon is attacking the city!" Dekath jumped up and grabbed a bow. "Stay here with Veshema! I'll deal with the dragon!" he shouted, running out the door. I thought of following him but I would probably just get in his way. I wasn't that good with a bow yet since nobody had ever thought to teach me. I had to teach myself from things I learned simply from watching archers.

Veshema walked in, looking scared. "I thought the dragons were wiped out...why is this one_ what the heck!_" he exclaimed, noticing my..._condition_. "_You're a vampire!_"

I nodded slowly. He backed up slightly.

"No, wait! I won't hurt you!" I said, walking over to him. He looked scared but remained where he was.

"You...but...you're a vampire...that means you work for Molag Bal..." he said, still scared out of his mind. I shook my head, appalled that he would even think I'd work for a Daedra.

"No, I don't. I would never do that"

He obviously didn't believe me. "I'm not stupid! Look, I don't know what's going on but I'd rather take my chances with the dragon then stay here with you!" he shouted as he ran out the door as well. I sighed and sat down on the bed. As I did so, I heard a deep voice, but I couldn't tell who it was or where it came from.

"_Hello, mortal. Well, that is what I would say if you were still a mortal but you have received my gift, it seems. Good, I could always use another champion_" it said. I instantly knew who was talking.

"Molag Bal...go away. I want nothing to do with you" I said, seemingly to myself though I knew he could hear me.

"_Trust me, you need me more than you realize. For example...your friend Veshema is about to be killed by a dragon unless you save him. I will give you the power to do so...all you need to do is be my champion_"

I thought for a minute. "What would that involve, exactly?"

"_Oh, nothing much. Simply that you do what I say, when I say and you will serve me until your death and after it. In exchange, I will protect you and give you immense power_"

I tried to find other options but it seems that I had no choice. If Veshema was going to die, this was the only way to save him.

"Fine I'll be your _champion_ or whatever but keep your end of the bargain"

Molag Bal laughed. "_If there's one thing Deadric Princes are known for, it is keeping their word to the letter. Here, take this sword and wield it in my name_" As he said this, a deep black sword appeared next to me. I picked it up and examined it. It had a very thin blade but was fairly long, just barely long enough to still be wielded with one hand. It was light, almost weighing nothing.

"_Good luck, my new champion. Hopefully you won't turn out like my last one. He was killed fighting dragons. Nasty things aren't they?_" he said, laughing. I could feel the presence fade away as I put the sword into its sheath. I sighed, put on a shirt and walked outside with the sword on my side. I collapsed for a second as I felt some of my energy leave me. I had forgotten that vampires don't do well in the sunlight. I got back up and continued to where the dragon was.

The town was in complete chaos. It was on fire in quite a few places. People were running around all over the place, screaming. I couldn't help thinking to myself "_not so tough now, huh Nords?_" as I watched guards fire arrows at a giant black mass in the sky. The beast avoided all the arrows and even snatched up one of the guards, swallowing him whole. Dekath and Veshema were also firing arrows. Finally, Veshema managed to hit the wing of the dragon. It let out a roar and soared down towards him. It landed about ten feet away from him and opened its mouth. He crouched down, making himself as small as possible and covered his face with his arms. I ran as fast as I could and stopped in front of him right as the dragon released what looked like a blizzard from its mouth. The cold blast hit me and I crossed my arms up around my face since I expected it to hurt. Thankfully, the cold went around me, completely missing the Argonian. However, it didn't even affect me, partly because of my fur and partly because of my new resistance to the cold. I looked slightly back at Veshema. He was looking at me, shocked.

As the dragon stopped attacking, I unsheathed my sword. The huge dragon reared up onto its legs, most likely because it figured that it would allow its bite to be quicker. I'm not sure why it did that, but the second its head came within reach, I drove the sword into its skull with as much force as possible, killing the great beast permanently. At least I hoped so. I pulled my sword out of its head and sheathed it, ignoring the blood.

"What are you doing here!" said a voice from behind me. I turned around to see Dekath looking at me sternly.

"I just saved his life" I said calmly, pointing to Veshema "and most likely yours too. If I stayed in the house, you both may be dead by now"

"I...you..." stammered Dekath, seemingly not sure what to say. Finally, he sighed.

"You are a lot like him, you know...stubborn, willing to do anything to protect those you love, strong in more ways than one...it's funny, really..."

Not sure what to say to that, I turned to Veshema. "You alright?" I asked, concerned. I was worried that he had still gotten hurt somehow.

"I'm fine, but why should you worry about me? You're a Khajiit, it's not like you care" he said stubbornly. I rolled my eyes.

"If I did not care, I would not have protected you from the dragon"

"How do I know you didn't do that so you could kill me yourself?"

"If I was going to, I'd do it right now. It is not like you could stop me"

"I...but..." he sighed. "Look...I'm sorry...I let my hatred towards Khajiit get the better of me...forgive me"

I smiled. "It is fine. You know, I-" my words were cut short by something that is a bit difficult to explain. The dragon had begun to burn up, literally. Its skin and scales seemed to burn off and evaporate into thin air with a loud sound like fire. Soon, only the skeleton remained and when all the skin was gone, what looked like some sort of energy came rushing out of it and into me, causing me to glow a pale white color. After a few minutes in which the three of us and the remaining townspeople, including Niranye, could only stand there in shock, the energy evaporated as well.

"...what...was that...?" I asked anyone in the area.

Dekath looked shocked. "...you aren't just like him anymore...Ma'shira...you _are_ him" he said quietly.

"...what do you mean...?" I asked, not sure I wanted to know the answer.

Niranye walked forward and placed her hands on my shoulders, obviously doing her best to not be startled when she looked into my eyes. "It means that you're Dragonborn"

In the distance, I heard a woman with a beautiful voice sing "_Our hero, our hero, claims a warrior's heart. I tell you I tell you, the Dragonborn comes. With a voice wielding power of the Ancient Nord art. Believe, believe, the Dragonborn comes._

"


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Elder Scrolls series or anything in Skyrim except my O.C.s, Ma'shira, Dekath, and Veshema.**

My eyes widened. I'm Dragonborn? I thought the prophecy said that Ma'shira was the last one...I asked her about this.

"The Elder Scrolls only tell what may be, not what will be. Besides...the dragons are coming back again and that can only mean one thing. Alduin has returned once more. As Dragonborn, you must finish him off again, but this time make sure he dies once and for all" she explained gently.

I shook my head. "No, I can't be Dragonborn...I'm simply a trader...I don't know how to fight, or kill dragons, or-" Before I could finish speaking, Molag Bal spoke again.

"_You are the Dragonborn, my champion. Remember, Molag Bal will protect you. All you need to do is follow my orders. If you do that, I'll let you do whatever you please in the meantime. If you wish to save this pathetic world, go ahead. I will not stop you and I will protect you. However, that does not mean you can do whatever you want without regard for your safety. If I feel you're getting too complacent with my protection, I will withdraw it and you will perish. Am I clear?_"

"_Yes, _my Lord_. Just don't go back on your word_" I thought bitterly. Molag Bal simply laughed and withdrew his presence.

"Ma'shira? You alright?" asked Veshema an hour later. I was sitting on the bed with him next to me, thinking about everything that had happened. Three days ago, I was a normal, Khajiit boy working for a trading caravan. Now, I'm a vampire, the Dragonborn, the champion of a Daedra and I'm supposed to kill the world's most powerful dragon. Dekath had explained Alduin to me and I can't say I like what I heard. According to him, he's extremely powerful and can travel to the afterlife to eat the souls of the dead. Shira (I'll call Ma'shira that from now on so it's slightly less confusing) only was able to kill him because he had a dragon carry him to Skuldafn and then he was able to fight about a hundred Drauger and a few dragons to get to Sovrngard. I highly doubt I could do that, much less get a dragon to help me. Besides, I'd be on my own...

"...yeah...fine..." I muttered. Veshema sighed and wrapped his arms around my waist, leaning his head against my shoulder.

I blushed. "...uh...Veshema...? What are you...?"

He blushed as well. "Well...Dekath said he always did this when Shira was upset and it helped him calm down so...I figured it'd help you too since you might as well be him. Do you not like it?"

"U-uh...no i-it's fine..." I muttered. I sighed as well and wrapped an arm around him.

"...Ma'shira...? Why are you doing that...?" He asked, blushing even more.

"Oh...well in Elsweyr, wrapping your arm around someone shows appreciation and kindness. What, does it not mean that here?" I asked, somewhat confused. He shook his head.

"As far as I can tell, most people here only do that if they love the person" he said, still red. I blushed even more and pulled back my arm quickly.

"Oh...forgive me..." I muttered. "No offense, but if that's the case I do not want people thinking I'm gay..."

"Hm? Why not? I mean, besides the obvious"

"In Elsweyr, they think that homosexuality brings you closer to Sanguine...dark indulgences and such, you know? Apparently, when you die you would be forced to work for him for all eternity or something like that. If any other Khajiit found out that I am...or they think I am, that is...they'll kill me, thinking I'm a Daedra worshipper. Besides, Daedra worship...is not exactly welcomed anywhere in Elsweyr" I mumbled. I still hadn't told anyone about Molag Bal's contract with me. I was afraid that would cause them to fear me or hate me.

Veshema looked away. "Oh...I see" He seemed troubled by something. I wasn't quite sure what. I asked if there was anything wrong but he shook his head.

"No...nothing. Let's go find Dekath...I want to ask him something" he muttered, getting up and leaving the room. I was confused but I followed him without saying anything. We found Dekath sitting in a chair across from the fireplace. He turned around as we approached.

"Before you ask, my answer is no" he said. Veshema scowled at him.

"How do you know that's what I was going to ask? In any case, why not?"

Dekath sighed and stood up. He placed his hands on Veshema's shoulders and looked very stern, but spoke gently.

"Veshema, it is too dangerous. You are not Dragonborn and you have only a little experience in battle. The only reason I let you fight the dragon was because I wanted you close to me"

"So! Ma'shira doesn't have any experience either!"

"Yes but...he's different. He's Dragonborn...plus, he's a vampire so it's much less likely he'll die"

Veshema looked outraged. "Fine, then I'll become a vampire too! Ma'shira, turn me into a vampire!"

I shook my head. "No, I will not. I don't want you dealing with this too. I've only been one for a bit but it's already a horrible existence...if I wasn't Dragonborn I would have killed myself by now. Death is preferable. However...Dekath, please allow Veshema to accompany me. I promise I will protect him with my life. I'll teach him everything I know. Since I'm in a caravan, I have to know a bit about combat; bandits and such. Besides, experience is the best teacher. We'll both learn as we go"

He thought for a while. "...fine. I trust you. You have the same look in your eyes he does and I don't mean that you both have red eyes...you have the same fiery passion for battle and helping people that he does. It's almost like when he died...he was reincarnated into you...but I doubt that's it. Well, anyway...you had better get going. Oh, but before you do, Niranye said she wanted to see you, Ma'shira. She said she had a parting gift for you"

With that, Veshema and I left the house, me doing my best to not collapse and him looking away. We walked to Niranye's shop.

"You wanted to see me?" I asked. She nodded.

"Here, give me your circlet for a second" she said, holding out her hand. I reached up to my head and took off my circlet. I trusted her, which is the only reason I'm even considering it.

"...here" I muttered. It almost hurt to part with it, even for a few seconds. Veshema looked at me and saw the scar that my circlet was covering. It was pure white and in a straight line across my forehead. I had gotten it years ago in a fight with an Argonian who came into our house. He ended up swinging his sword at me and leaving the mark. That was the other reason I almost never took off my circlet.

"...how did you get that?" he asked quietly. I shrugged.

"I got in a fight...someone scratched me with a sword..." I muttered. Before he could say anything else, Niranye returned, holding my circlet. She gave it back to me and I hastily put it on.

"Here, I put three enchantments on it: water breathing, restore stamina and restore health. Since you're a vampire, you won't regain lost health or energy in the sun. However, this circlet will now allow you to bypass that rule. The water breathing was just because I figured it would be useful. Normally, you're not supposed to put three enchantments on an item because it could backfire on the enchanter. However, it didn't and I'm perfectly fine" she explained. I wasn't sure what to say...most people aren't this nice, least of all to me.

"Thank you so much, Niranye. I really appreciate this. The next time I see you...it'll be when I've killed Alduin. I promise I'll come back" I said, smiling. She smiled and waved as we left the market. Some people who passed us muttered "A Khajiit and an Argonian? That's new..." but I ignored them. Veshema couldn't hear them since he didn't have my hearing but I suppose that was for the best. I was just shocked they didn't notice my Vampirism. I mean, come on. How do you not notice pale skin, red eyes and fangs?

"Hey, cat!" said a voice right as we were about to leave the city.

"Oh, not again..." I muttered as I turned around. The group of Nords was back. They quickly surrounded me and Veshema.

"So, you've found a friend, have you? Why aren't you down at the docks, lizard?" said one of them. The others laughed. Noticing his temper was rising, I grabbed his shoulder and whispered "Leave them to me"

I walked up to them. Having absolutely no idea how to use my powers, I decided to wing it and hope that it worked. I walked up to the leader and smiled. I leaned up and whispered into his ear softly "You don't want to hurt us. You only want to leave us alone", hoping this was how my Vampire's Seduction was used. Dekath had told me about this power but didn't exactly say how to use it. I looked into his eyes, which seemed empty. Sighing, I gently stroked his face.

"You want to leave us alone and tell the others to not bother us, don't you?" I said softly, smiling. After a few seconds he shook his head as though to clear his thoughts and said "All of you, leave these two alone. They've had enough". The others looked shocked as he walked away. They followed him reluctantly. Veshema turned to me and grinned. I grinned back.

We continued out of the city and soon came to a fork in the road. We went left and followed the path for about a mile or two before we came to some sort of hot spring near Kynesgrove. We sat down on a nearby log to rest for a bit. By now, it was nighttime seeing as we left the city around six.

"...Ma'shira? Can you do me a favor?" asked Veshema, looking away.

"Of course. What is it?"

He looked slightly uncomfortable. "Will you...make me a vampire?"


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Elder Scrolls series or anything in Skyrim except my O.C.s, Ma'shira, Dekath, and Veshema.**

Without missing a beat, I said "No"

We stared at each other for a while, neither of us saying anything. Finally, he broke the silence.

"And why not?"

"Because I don't want you to have to go through this"

"Please, Ma'shira" he begged. "What if I die and you live just because you're a vampire? You'd hate that"

Knowing this was true, I thought for a minute before deciding. "...fine...only so you don't die...but once you are bitten there's no going back. So be absolutely sure you want to do this" I said. He nodded and said he was sure.

"But just to be safe...use Vampire's Seduction on me so I don't back out" he said. I objected at first but soon agreed, knowing there was no arguing with him. I just hope Dekath didn't find out anytime soon. We turned to face each other. I moved closer to him and looked into his eyes.

"Now, sit still. This will only take a minute" I said softly, gently caressing his face. Thankfully, nobody else was around to see that and after this, I planned to make him promise to never speak of it again. I slowly leaned forward and bit his neck as softly as I could without hurting him too badly, but still puncturing skin. As I felt warm blood wash over my teeth (and into them, it felt like), I felt my power growing weaker. Oddly, I enjoyed it. The blood tasted sweet...woah, what?

I slowly pulled away and looked at him. His eyes were unfocused and he looked a bit sick.

"I knew I'd regret this..." I muttered. "Come on...let's see if we can find an inn or something..." I pulled the now unconscious Veshema onto my back and headed off to the nearest town. Then I realized this was Windhelm and I couldn't go back there yet because of Dekath. Instead, I walked to Mixwater Mill, the closest place with people I knew of. I secretly hoped that they had a "Cure Disease" potion he could drink, getting rid of his Sanguinare Vampiris before he could become a full vampire. I would have gone to find one myself earlier if I wasn't knocked out.

I finally got there about a day later. Despite my circlet, I still didn't like the sun so traveling in it was not fun. However, I was determined to get Veshema somewhere he could lie down. I only stopped for a break once during the entire trip for about two minutes.

With the Argonian boy still on my back, I walked up to one of the people who lived there, Gilfre. I had met her a while back when the caravan passed through the mill.

"Ah, Ma'shira. How are-is that an Argonian? Wait...you look...different. What happened?" she asked, worried.

"No time to explain. Please, we need to get him to bed...he's sick" I said, barely able to speak through my exhaustion. She hesitated for a moment then took Veshema off my back. She carried him into her house and set him down on the large bed to the left of her door. She then took a large wheel of cheese and handed it to me, seeing how tired and hungry I was. I hadn't eaten since the two minute break I allowed myself yesterday so I ate the whole thing in a matter of minutes.

"Now, would you care to explain why you look different and why there's a sick Argonian boy with you? Where's your caravan?" she asked. I had completely forgotten about my caravan. They probably all thought I died in Windhelm or something seeing as they didn't wait for me outside or anything.

"...I suppose I owe you an explanation but don't tell anyone. I'm a vampire, he's my friend, he's sick because I bit him and now he'll become a vampire in two days and I have no idea where my caravan is. Does that answer all your questions?"

She sat down in a nearby chair, stunned. It was a lot to take in at once, I suppose. I mean, if a Khajiit boy showed up randomly and told you that he was a vampire and that his sick friend is becoming one, you'd find it hard to believe him. I would.

"...so let me get this straight...that boy is going to become a vampire because you bit him?" she asked quietly. I nodded. She stood up, brushed off her dress and slapped my face as hard as she could.

"What was that for!" I snapped. This was unlike her. She is usually very nice. She glared at me and slapped me again.

"The first one was for ruining this poor boy's life! The second was for being stupid enough to become a vampire!" She yelled.

"Like I had a choice" I said, doing my best to not yell. "I was forced into it. As for him...he wanted this. I objected but he wouldn't listen"

She rolled her eyes, obviously not believing me. She raised her hand again but before she could slap me, a hand grabber her arm.

"Hurt him again...and I will make sure...it is the last thing you ever do" said Veshema weakly, breathing heavily. Gilfre looked at him for a moment then relaxed her hand so that Veshema let go.

"...get back in bed boy. You're in no condition to be up just yet" she said gently, helping him back into bed. He went reluctantly but fell asleep almost the second he lied down.

I sighed. "Gilfre...please, try to understand...I did not become a vampire by choice and if I had my way he would not be one either" I had hoped she would at least try to understand. Thankfully, she nodded but she didn't look happy about it.

We remained at her house for the next three days. Veshema looked a little better but this wasn't exactly a good thing.

"Oh, by the way..." she said on the third day, suddenly looking up from the cooking pot she was using, "I've been meaning to ask you. Where did you get that sword? Last I checked you only had a dagger"

"_Do not tell her it was from me. I don't care where you say you got it, but if she finds out it is a Deadric artifact, she will not be happy_" said Molag Bal.

"_I know that. I may be a mortal...sort of...but I'm not stupid_" I snapped, though in my mind.

"_Aren't we a feisty little cub? You dare speak that way to your master? ...I like you, boy. You have courage, something not all of my champions possess. I think both of us will be glad we made this little..._contract" He laughed, withdrawing his presence again. Mentally facepalming, I said "I found it in an old Nord crypt the caravan explored. We didn't see any Drauger or anything, which was weird, but at the end I found this sword and since I was the one to find it, they let me keep it"

"Uh-huh...may I see it?" she asked. I nodded and handed it to her. She unsheathed it and examined the blade.

"Hmm...doesn't look like it was made by a Nord. Most made by us have a thicker blade than this. It might be elven...or ebony, maybe..." she muttered to herself. "Either way, it looks as sharp as it can be. Wait...is this...blood?" She looked horrified, obviously jumping to conclusions.

"No! I mean, yes but from a dragon, not a person!" I said quickly. She stared at me for a few seconds.

"...the dragons are gone. They were killed off years ago" she said slowly. I shook my head.

"They're coming back. One attacked Windhelm. Thankfully I was able to kill it with this sword but just barely" I explained. I had decided to leave out the part about me being Dragonborn. That's something I'd rather keep between me and Veshema for now.

"Hmm...but that means...Alduin is back...and we have no Dragonborn! Divines help us..." she said, obviously scared.

"Do not worry Gilfre; I am sure a Dragonborn will turn up somewhere" I said calmly, trying to reassure her. She nodded and sighed.

"Here I am worrying about something far off when there's a sick boy needing help. Here, let me see if I have any "Cure Disease" potions that he can drink" she said, going over to a chest and rummaging through it. I silently hoped she had one, but waited patiently. Soon, she came back holding a red bottle.

"Here, boy. Drink this" she said gently, leaning over Veshema. He opened his eyes and saw the bottle. He shook his head.

"I know what that is...I want this...do not try to cure me..." he muttered, still weak. Before Gilfre could try to talk him into it, he started to grow pale, two of his teeth grew past his lower lip and his eyes turned slightly red.

"...Veshema? Are you...alright?" I asked, afraid of the answer. He grinned.

"Never better. I'm a bit thirsty but other than that..." he said. I sighed. I guess there was no going back now. When he said that, I remembered that I had not had blood in three days, which was not a good thing. According to Dekath, a vampire who goes three days without feeding becomes Blood Starved, meaning anyone they see will attack them on sight. I guess Gilfre and Veshema didn't because they knew me so they didn't have to be afraid. However, there was the matter of drinking some before I went into another town.

"...Gilfre...? Can I ask you a favor?" I asked, hoping she'd say yes.

"Of course. What is it?"

"...I haven't had blood in three days...if I don't drink some, people will attack me on sight. So I was wondering...could I drink yours? It won't turn you into a vampire unless I want it to and I don't so..."

She stared at me for a moment before sighing. "Fine. Just make it quick"

An hour later, and me no longer feeling thirsty, Veshema and I left the house. Gilfre waved to us and told us to come back if we ever needed anything but I could tell she was hoping we wouldn't. We walked a few miles in silence before I turned to him.

"...I've been thinking. Maybe we should join the Volkihar Vampires...I mean, nothing wrong with getting stronger right?" I said. I had been considering this for a few days now. Shira had been their leader so it made me want to go even more. He thought for a moment before nodding.

"I've heard about them. They tried to destroy the sun until someone and the Vampire Lord's daughter killed the leader. Then that person took over but nobody knows who it was"

I sighed. "It was Shira. He was a vampire too. That's partly why I think we should go there"

He was shocked. "...Shira was a vampire? Why did I never hear of...ok bad question but still..."

With that, we began our long journey to Solitude. Veshema had said that the castle was near Solitude but nobody really knew where. We had hoped that somebody there would know. It took us about a week to get there. We would have been faster but Veshema was more affected by the sun than I was so it slowed us down a bit. However, when night came we made very quick progress, traveling three miles in about twenty minutes. Unfortunately, we came upon two dragons but that's a story for another time.


	5. Chapter 5

Author's note: I apologize if my chapters just seem to cut off randomly sometimes but if I don't cut them off at some point they'll either be obscenely long or way too short so...yeah. Sorry.

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Elder Scrolls series or anything in Skyrim except my O.C.s, Ma'shira, Dekath, and Veshema.**

Finally, we came upon the large city of Solitude. We walked through the gates without any problems, but one of the guards looked suspiciously at us as we passed.

"So how do we do this? It is not like we can just ask someone where the castle is" said Veshema. He was right but I wasn't sure what to say. I hadn't exactly planned this far yet.

"Hmm...well maybe we can just stay at an inn or something and see if we can pick up a rumor around town. I have money, so it's not a problem" I said. I remembered that I still had the money from the items I brought to Niranye, totaling about two thousand Septims. I didn't want to use it but I was afraid eventually we may have no choice. For now, I'd just use the two hundred she gave to me.

We walked into the inn called "The Winking Skeever" (not a good name for an inn...) and asked the innkeeper, Corpulus, if there were rumors going around town.

"Hmm...not that I know of. We've been having some vampire trouble lately but that's about it" he said gruffly. Trying not to look too happy about this, I thanked him and left the inn, Veshema looking slightly confused.

"I thought we were going to stay at the inn" he said. I shook my head.

"No need. If we can follow up on this we may get to the castle" I explained, heading for the Blue Palace.

"Are we going to the Blue Palace? Why there?" he asked, seeing it in the distance and looking even more confused.

I smiled. "To see an old friend"

We walked in, ignoring the looks from people who I'm assuming were Thanes and went upstairs to where Jarl Elisif was; or rather, Queen Elisif. She had finally risen to power about a year ago but I hadn't seen her since before then.

"Oh...hello boys. How may I help you tonight?" she asked, looking at me curiously.

I grinned. "You do not remember me? I am hurt"

It took her a few seconds to realize who I was. "Wait...Ma'shira!" I nodded and she laughed.

"Oh, do forgive me! Goodness, it's been too long since I last saw you! How's the caravan?" she asked.

I shrugged. "Same as ever. How are Solitude and the rest of Skyrim, Elisif? You must have your hands full, you being the new High Queen"

At this, several of the guards who I saw at the entrance to the palace, along with the ones near her, ran up and pointed their swords at Veshema and me. He looked scared but I remained looking at Elisif.

"Elisif? This is only a suggestion, but get better guards. These seem to be very...incompetent" I said, still ignoring the guards. One of the scowled at me.

"How dare you talk to the High Queen in such a disrespectful manner!" shouted one of the guards angrily. "Neither of you have even bowed before her! Know your place!"

Elisif stood up and glared at the guards. "Enough! Fendral, Ma'shira is my friend and therefore does not have to observe formalities! Neither does anyone he is friends with! I suggest you learn _your_ place before speaking to my friends that way again. Now, go and do your job" she said sternly. The guards were shocked but walked away all the same. She sat back down again, sighing and looking slightly exhausted.

"I'm sorry about that. I promise they won't bother you again. Now, do you need something?"

"It's alright. I'm used to that sort of thing. Anyway, I heard that you were having vampire troubles. Need any help with that?" I asked. I vaguely heard some guards mutter to each other "This Khajiit boy and the Queen are friends! Just who is this kid!"

She thought for a moment. "Yeah, I've heard that too. I've never seen one but it has become a problem again. We had problems a while back too. Anyway, if you could somehow help us I'd appreciate it. Let us discuss this further in private. Guards, leave us"

"My Queen, I am sorry but we cannot do that. It would leave you too open. Besides, I don't trust these two! How do we know they aren't plotting to kill you!" he objected.

"Ma'shira is a dear friend to me. He would not allow me to be killed, much less kill me himself. Now please leave us" she ordered gently. The guards obeyed but only grudgingly, muttering under their breaths about how they wish they could kill us right where we stand.

As the last guard left, she turned to me. "Alright, so why are you looking for the vampires? Tell me the truth, Ma'shira" she said, though not unkindly.

I sighed. "We're looking for them because we want to join them. We're vampires as well, though I have no idea why nobody notices this"

Elisif was stunned for a second. She slouched in her throne, for a minute looking like the other Jarls who slouch with a hand near their face when sitting. She quickly regained herself.

"So that's why I didn't recognize you...oh, do forgive me, Argonian! We haven't been introduced yet!" she said, holding out her hand to Veshema. "I am Queen Elisif the Fair. Who are you?" Veshema looked unsure as to what he should do. He shakily held out his hand and shook hers.

"H-hello your majesty. My name is Veshema. It is a great honor to meet you" he stuttered. She laughed.

"Please, Veshema. Call me Elisif. Any friend of Ma'shira is also a friend of mine" she said, smiling at him. He was silent for a minute but then smiled as well.

"As you wish, Que-Elisif, though I must ask, how did you two become friends? Surely it isn't normal for the High Queen of Skyrim to become friends with a fifteen year old Khajiit trader. No offense" he said quickly, looking at me. We both sighed, but smiled.

"Should I tell it or should you?" asked Elisif. I nodded toward her. "Well, alright. Let's see...it was about two years ago. I was still only the Jarl. He had come here with his caravan. I happened to pass by him in the streets. He saw I was the Jarl and asked if I wanted to buy something and that he'd give me a special rate. I decided to see what he had and bought a beautiful gold, ruby, emerald and sapphire circlet. I'm actually wearing it right now. Normally it was worth about two thousand Septims since it's extremely rare to find one like that but he said since I was the Jarl, he'd give it to me for only nine hundred. I bought it and we began talking about his caravan. He later asked me about being a Jarl and we went from there. We've been fairly good friends since that day"

Veshema was in shock for a split second but quickly snapped out of it. "Wow..." he said, apparently unable to say anything else. Elisif smiled and looked at me.

"So, now I'm curious. How did you meet your boyfriend here?" she asked, winking. I felt my face go red and I could tell Veshema was embarrassed too.

"W-what? No, he's just...I mean we're...dang it Elisif!" I said. She laughed again.

"Forgive me, I'm kidding. I know he's not. How did you meet though, if you don't mind me asking?"

I told her about how I went into Windhelm and what had happened to me after I woke up including the part about me being Dragonborn. I left out the part in which I bit Veshema, making no other statement as to how he became a vampire but I think she saw through it. I ended with why we came here in the first place.

"...so we came here hoping to find the Volkihar Vampires and join them. As much as I hate having to do that, if I'm going to kill Alduin, I'll need as much strength as I can get" I finished. She thought for a moment.

"...you have a point. Hmm...well Shira never told me where the castle was...however, I could point you in the direction of someone who might know where it is" she said slowly, still thinking. "His name is Falion. He lives in Morthal and is known to study the undead, including vampires"

I looked at her curiously for a moment. "...Morthal? We cannot go there. It is too far away. Granted, it's closer than Windhelm but still..."

She stared at me for a second before saying "Oh! Sorry, I forgot to mention that Falion is staying in Solitude for a while to study Conjuration. He said something about Sybille teaching him, though I'm not sure what he intends to learn...she's more of a Destruction Mage than a Conjurer. Go speak with her; she'll be able to point you in the right direction. She should be in the kitchen"

I smiled. "Thank you Elisif. We appreciate your help" I said as we began to walk away. She smiled as well and waved.

"If you ever need anything else, let me know. I can even arrange for you to stay in the Blue Palace, if necessary. Goodbye" she said. We continued to the kitchens to find a woman in blue mage robes cooking something. When she turned to us, her eyes were hidden by her hood but from what I could see, she was very young. I had never met her but I had heard she was a fairly powerful mage and not one to cross.

"Yes? What do you need, I'm busy" she said sternly, looking at us both. Before we could answer, she said "Wait, don't tell me. You're looking for Castle Volkihar?"

We were both stunned. How could she know that? There's no way she could have heard us from here.

"How did you..." Veshema began. Sybille sighed and removed her hood. Her eyes were red. She was a vampire.

"...you're a vampire...?" I said slowly. She nodded, still looking slightly irritated.

"Yes, but tell anyone and I'll cut your heads off. I don't care that you two are vampires as well; I'll kill both of you with my bare hands. Am I clear?" she snapped. We nodded, both slightly frightened. She sighed.

"Anyway, if you're looking for the castle, keep going west until you get to a large body of water. Take the boat docked there to the large castle in the distance but be warned: the vampires living there are not average. They're powerful, more so than all three of us combined. If they don't like you, they'll kill you without a second thought. I went there once and just barely escaped with my life. Let's not go into the details" she explained, still annoyed. We nodded.

"U-uh...thanks...we'll just be going now..." I said, walking away as fast as I could without it seeming abnormal. Veshema followed closely behind me until we had gotten back out into the cold, dark streets of Solitude. Well, cold for Veshema.

"That lady scares me..." he muttered. I nodded and led the way out of town. Thankfully, we found a carriage near the farm.

"Oh, hello boys. May I help you?" asked the man driving the carriage.

"Yes. We need you to take us west until we reach a large body of water. Can you do that?" I asked, holding out fifty Septims. He took it and nodded.

"Sure. Climb in back and we'll be off" he said. We climbed in back of the carriage and we set off. The entire trip took about two hours, with only small, polite conversation exchanged. The man seemed to be a little scared of us. I assume it's because for all he knew, two random teenage boys, one Khajiit and the other Argonian, asked him to take them to a place well away from a town that didn't even have anything there. Oh, if only he knew all of it...

We finally reached the water. We climbed out and thanked the man. He nodded but looked at us oddly.

"...if you don't mind me asking...why are you two coming here of all places? Where are your parents?" he asked. We merely turned around and headed for the water without saying anything.

"Hey, want to freak him out?" whispered Veshema. I nodded and grinned. We continued walking but as we did, Veshema became completely invisible. I looked at myself and saw I was too. We laughed silently as we heard the man's reaction.

"By the Gods...w-what is happening! W-who were those kids!" he stammered as he drove the carriage away quickly. Veshema became visible again and laughed out loud.

"That was great" I said through my own laughs. "How did you do that?"

"Dekath taught me the spell years ago. He said he learned it from Shira. I actually prefer using magic to using a weapon. He also gave me this ring that increases my magicka and decreases the amount I need to cast a spell" he explained, showing me the ring. It was gold with a small sapphire in the middle.

We walked to the edge of the water and saw a small dock and a boat. Looking into the distance, we (well, I since Veshema didn't have my vision) saw a large structure in the distance. Assuming that was Castle Volkihar, we got in the boat and rowed to it. The trip took about an hour. Thankfully, our vampiric strength made it much easier and faster.

We got off the boat and looked around. It was snowing and very cold. Even I shivered a bit. To our right was a large stone tower. In front of us was a large bridge leading to what looked like a castle. We walked across this bridge, both of us being slightly creeped out. It was flanked by four gargoyles at the middle. We walked past these as fast as we could and stopped at the gate. A man behind it stepped in front of us.


	6. Chapter 6

Author's note: I need to make something clearer. When I said there will be references to homosexuality...I meant there will be yaoi in this. In other words, there will be gay characters and gay love. Don't like, don't read.

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Elder Scrolls series or anything in Skyrim except my O.C.s, Ma'shira, Dekath, and Veshema.**

"Halt. What business do you have here?" he said, somewhat angrily. Veshema and I looked at each other and nodded.

"We are vampires and would like to join you" said Veshema. The man looked at us for a few seconds and laughed.

"You two have no idea what it means to be a vampire. Very well, come in. I will let the owner of this castle decide what to do with the two of you" he said, opening the gate. We followed him inside. There were two large gargoyles, one on each side, as we walked in. We ignored them and kept walking. The man led us down the stairs into what looked like some sort of dining room. The three tables in the room had many plates of food (the one on the left had what appeared to be kegs, though I'm not sure what was in them) and the one on the left even had a live human who was simply staring at the ceiling as one of the vampires seated at the table drank his blood. The front table had one woman sitting behind it. She had short, black hair, red eyes, was wearing what looked like some sort of black outfit with a cape, and seemed to carry herself a bit differently than anyone else I've ever seen.

"Broknir. Who are these two boys?" said the woman, standing up. Her voice was smooth and gentle but had some authority to it. I assume this was the person the man was talking about.

"I don't know, Lady Serana. They showed up here so I brought them to you" he said.

She thought for a moment. "Hmm...oh, you may go now Broknir" she said. The man bowed and left the room. The woman named Serana waited until he was gone before speaking. "So, what do you two want?"

"We want to join you. We're vampires as well" I explained. She went silent again.

"I'm going to tell you the same thing my father told the last person who came here and said that. You may have contracted a disease but neither of you have any idea what it's like to be a true vampire" she said. Veshema and I looked at each other, not sure what she meant.

"...what do you-" he began but she cut him off before he could finish.

"What I mean is that you may be what mortals consider "vampire", but you do not have the full power that a true vampire does. I can give you that power...but before you two get excited, I will only give it to one of you...you, Khajiit. Step forward" she commanded, though not unkindly. I took a few steps towards her and she looked into my eyes.

"...yes...I know that power...I have seen it only once before..." she muttered, still looking into my eyes without blinking. After a few moments, she backed up a bit and said "I have decided. You, Khajiit with the soul of a dragon, you will receive the power". This caused Veshema to look at me, obviously jealous. Serana ignored this and stepped forward. She grabbed my shoulders and bit into my neck.

"Ow! What...was that...for..." I asked as my strength started to fade. The last thing I heard was Veshema yelling at Serana, though I could not tell what he said. I had begun to hurt everywhere, as though my blood was on fire. I screamed though I doubt anyone heard me. Was there even anyone near me? I was all alone in the dark with only my pain to remind me I was alive...

After what seemed like an eternity later, I woke up. The pain had stopped but I was still confused. I sat up and looked at the large room I was in. It was nearly empty except for a few gargoyles (what is it with these people and gargoyles?) and a large alter that seemed to have blood coming out of it, in front of which was Serana, staring at me with her arms crossed.

"So, you're awake are you? Good, I figured you weren't meant to receive the gift after all" she said as I got to my feet.

"...where am I?" I asked, shaking my head a bit. She smiled.

"Still in the castle. This is our shrine to Molag Bal, the patron of vampires. The reason you're in here is so you can test your new power away from distraction. Now, begin by transforming into your true vampire form" she explained. After I looked at her curiously, she said "Oh, sorry. I'm not used to people not knowing how. All you have to do is simply want to change into your new form and it will happen. So do it"

I sighed. Well, might as well try right? I simply thought of wanting to change and it happened. As soon as I thought it, a black mist enveloped me. Soon, the mist dispersed and once it did, a huge surge of power rose through me. My back felt...heavier...as well. I turned a bit and saw large, black wings protruding from my back. I looked at my hands. They were pretty much the same as before, but were now deadly claws. Serana pointed to a mirror near the alter. What I saw almost made me pass out again. It was me but with huge differences. There were huge black wings on my back, my eyes were blood red now as opposed to the slight red they had before and my fangs had grown at least another inch. My fur was also slightly darker now than it was before.

"This is the new form given to us by Molag Bal. He said the previous one was "unattractive and did not allow for enough mobility since it was too tall" so he gave us a new form. Here's a drawing of what you would look like in your new form if you had come along about two months ago" she held up a picture of some really creepy looking...creature. It had what seemed to be torn wings, a large chest, horns, a hideous face, claws and seemed to be floating.

"I like this new form much better. It's much more powerful than the old one. Besides, it's a lot more attractive as well. Now, onto your powers. The only ones you have currently are Vampiric Drain, a spell that can raise the dead and the ability to turn into a swarm of bats and reappear somewhere else, even long distances away. However, I will give you one more power and the rest will come with experience" she explained, putting her hand on my head and closing her eyes. A minute later, she opened them and said "Alright. Now you can run incredibly fast in this form. Unfortunately, our wings are not strong enough to allow us to fly...not sure why we have them but who are we to question? Anyway, if you combine this with your Whirlwind Sprint Shout, when you learn it that is, then you'll be able to move at unimaginable speeds. Yes, I know you're Dragonborn" she said, seeing the shocked look on my face. "I can sense your great power. In fact, I've met another Dragonborn. He was also a Khajiit. What was his name again...oh yeah: Ma'shira. He was a powerful man, much stronger than anyone I've ever seen. However...I can sense your potential for power. Given the right training and experience, you could become twice as strong as he was"

I wasn't really sure what to say to that. I muttered something under my breath but even I could barely hear it.

She smiled and started to walk out of the room. "Oh, and to revert back to your original form, just do the opposite of what you did to turn into that" she said as she left. I thought of going back to normal and within about five seconds, the wings dissolved into smoke and evaporated, my fangs grew shorter, my claws disappeared and my fur lightened a bit. I followed Serana out of the room. Veshema was sitting at one of the tables, drinking the blood of the person we had seen earlier. Even though I was a vampire and, as much as I hated to admit it, blood tasted pretty good, the sight was kind of disgusting.

"Hello Ma'shira. How did it go?" he asked as I approached. I shrugged.

"Alright I suppose. What about you? What did you do while I was gone?" I asked. He shrugged as well.

"Nothing much. After you passed out, Serana took you into some room over there and I just sat down and waited. I got kind of thirsty so..."

Before I could say anything else, Serana walked up to the two of us. "If you two are going to join us, you'll need Vampire Armor. Come with me" she said, walking off again. Veshema and I looked at each other and followed her. She led us up more stairs and into a large room with a fireplace to our left and a throne in front of it. She told us to wait there and went up a few more stairs to the second part of the room. She came back a few moments later holding two sets of what I'm assuming was Vampire Armor.

"Here. Normally, it isn't made for people as young as you but I used magic to shrink them a bit. They should fit well enough. Put it on and meet me back in the dining room when you're ready" she said. We thanked her and she walked out of the room. I chose the black armor, while he took the red. We put on the armor, boots and gauntlets, thankful that both fit us perfectly. The gauntlets were a bit odd, but I liked them anyway. They kind of looked like claws...weird, black claws. Our armor had a strange symbol on the upper part of it that kind of looked like a circle with spikes coming out of it. I assumed it was the symbol for the Volkihar Vampires or something.

Veshema finished putting on his new armor and looked at me. "Wow...that actually looks really good on you" he said. Most likely because he heard it after he said it, he blushed and looked away. I felt myself go red as well.

"Um...thanks...it looks good on you too" I mumbled.

"...thanks...um...now what?"

"Now we should probably go see Serana" I muttered, still looking away. We walked out of the room, both of us practically feeling the awkward, and saw Serana sitting in her throne again.

"Ah, so it fits you then? Good, I have an assignment for the two of you. Go to Whiterun and..._convince_...the Harbinger of the Companions to tell the others to lay off our prey. Those sneaky wolves keep taking it, leaving nothing for us. I don't care how you do it but try not to kill them if possible. Tell them that you are the ambassadors for us. Do this right and I'll let you two keep that title. In this castle, we do not care about age or gender, only power and determination and you two have both" she explained. She then told us exactly what was happening. I'd repeat it but the explanation actually took an hour so I'd rather not. In short, we set our sights on prey, they somehow knew and they killed them before we got the chance to get to them.

She finished explaining and said "Normally, it'd take days to get there but Ma'shira, you can get there much quicker with your new power but do not pass any towns on your way there. If anyone sees you, they'll attack. Now go. Every second you stay here is another moment wasted" she ordered. We both bowed, Veshema somewhat reluctantly, and left the castle. Right before we left, we heard Serana say to someone "I sound like my father..."


	7. Chapter 7

Author's note: Sorry everyone but school started back up for me so I'm not going to have nearly as much time to write anymore. I'll do the best I can though.

We stepped outside and Veshema turned to me.

"Well? Let's go" he said impatiently. I was a bit confused for a moment before I remembered I was supposed to take us there.

"Oh...right. Sorry" I apologized quickly. The black mist enveloped me and when it was gone, the wings were back with my claws. He stared at me for a few seconds before shaking his head.

"Let's go" I said. I was startled for a moment. My voice was...different. I mean, you could tell it was me talking but I don't know...I guess it just sounded..._smoother_. Shaking my head a bit as well, I took hold of his arm. I remembered that she had not told me how to use any of my powers for some reason but I figured that it couldn't be that hard right? Assuming all I had to do was want to do it, I thought of a field near Whiterun and let the desire to go there fill me. As soon as I did, a large swarm of bats appeared and flew around us like a tornado. Veshema looked slightly scared. I had a few guesses about why. I mean, call me crazy but who wouldn't be freaked out in his position? Anyway, hoping to calm him down, I hugged him and reassured him that everything was fine. He nodded and seemed a bit less scared.

The bats disappeared. We were standing in the field I had thought of. Judging by the amount of light and the sun's position, the trip only took a few minutes. I changed back into my normal form and went up to one of the Nords who worked nearby at the farm. Veshema followed me.

"Excuse me, but what day is it?" I asked politely.

He looked at me suspiciously. "...seventh of Sundras. Why?" He asked. Good, we had left on the seventh of Sundras. That means it didn't take more than a day.

"Oh...I was just curious. Thank you. Goodbye" I said, waving to him as we walked off. The man looked very confused and went back to his work. With that, we entered the city. I had been here a few times, so I knew where Jorrvaskr was even though I had never been in there.

"What do you think she called them wolves?" asked Veshema as we went past the Plains District and into the Wind District. I shrugged, figuring we'd figure it out when we got there. We went past the temple and the shops and into the large mead hall that was known as Jorrvaskr. Inside, we saw a large room with a fire in the middle of it surrounded by tables. Several weapons hung on the walls. There were about ten people there, all in the same armor except for one woman. She had a large hunting bow on her back and had war paint on her face. An odd ring was on her finger; it looked like it had a wolf carved onto it. She walked over to us.

"Well? What do you need?" she asked, somewhat impatiently.

"We're looking for the Harbinger" said Veshema. The woman stood a little taller.

"That would be me. My name is Aela. What do you need?" she asked again. I looked at Veshema. He nodded and I turned back to Aela.

"May we go somewhere more...private? This is a matter we need to discuss with you and you alone" I said. She thought for a moment and nodded.

"Fine. Follow me" she sighed, leading us downstairs into a hallway. We went into the room at the far end and she closed the door.

"Alright, we're alone. Now talk and don't think I'll hesitate to hurt you two if you try anything. I don't care that you're children" she said, though very calmly.

"Then I'll get to the point. We're here as ambassadors for the Volkihar Vampires" I explained. Her eyes widened briefly but she quickly regained herself. How she knew about us is beyond me but I didn't ask. "You seem to be taking our prey. We would like you to stop"

"I have as much right to any prey available as you..._vampires_...do" she said, still calm.

"Of course, but once we set our sights on prey, we have claims to it. It's the same with you" Veshema sighed. "So we'd appreciate it if you would stop killing them when you know perfectly well they belong to us"

"And how do you know that, boy? It's just a coincidence, I assure you" she said, rolling her eyes.

"Then why do you always kill the targets we choose and only them?" I asked. She wasn't sure what to say to that.

"I'll ask again. Lay off our prey or things will get bad" warned Veshema. Aela laughed, grinning somewhat wolfishly.

"Oh, they will. Neither of you will live to get back to your "castle". I think that'll send a good message, don't you?" she said. I sighed.

"You don't want to do that, trust me...but if we must fight...let us do so in a place with more room" I said. She nodded and led us through a door hidden behind a bookcase. We walked down a flight of stairs and came to a large arena. Enough seats for about a hundred people surrounded a caged circle.

"This was built by my predecessor years ago" said Aela, walking into the cage. I followed her and nodded to Veshema. He walked away and sat down in one of the seats. The other Companions joined us, obviously hoping for a good fight. She walked to the opposite end and grinned again.

"You'll regret coming here" she said. A black mist surrounded her, like when I transformed but something was different. Instead of wings bursting from her back, her arms grew longer and more muscled. Her legs did the same. Black fur began to cover her body while her face turned wolfish. Finally, the mist went away completely and where Aela was standing moments before was now a large, black wolf. It howled and stared at me, breathing heavily. Suddenly, I remembered what the Jarl of Windhelm told me "_...and a female warrior who is as savage as a wolf with her bow_" and realized this must be the warrior he was talking about. However, she wasn't as savage as a wolf; she _was_ a wolf. A werewolf, to be exact.

"Huh...werewolf huh...well you're not the only one with powers Aela" I said. The black mist surrounded me as well and the last thing I saw before it covered my face was the shocked expressions of the Companions and Veshema smiling slightly. The mist vanished and they looked even more shocked. I laughed.

"Well? Come on, wolf. I thought I was going to regret coming here" I taunted her. She roared and ran towards me at a blinding speed. At the last second, the swarm of bats surrounded me and I appeared behind her. I raised my right claw and slashed at her back. She howled in pain and tried to attack me again. I disappeared again, this time reappearing about ten feet away from her. She roared one more time and ran towards me again. I tried to turn into the swarm of bats...but nothing happened. I tried to dodge her but was scratched across my chest in the process. The armor had softened the blow but not that much. I felt warm blood cover my fingers as I gripped the place she had scratched me.

"Great...like I don't have enough scars there..." I muttered, wondering why I was unable to use my power. Serana had not mentioned something like this. Making a mental note to ask her later, I remembered about my Vampiric Drain power. Having no clue as to how to use it, I raised my right hand and saw what looked like some red energy sphere in it. Going with my instinct, I thrust my hand towards her. The sphere shot out of my hand and hit Aela in the chest. The second it did, what looked like some sort of red aura...energy...thing...came rushing out of her and into me. I felt instantly better and noticed that the bleeding from my cuts had stopped. She looked tired and was bleeding slightly from the cut on her back. She growled and reverted back to her original form.

"Not bad, kid" she growled. "Most people don't stand a chance against me. You managed to avoid my attacks and hurt me in the process. Well done. However..." she smiled and laughed a bit. "While you were busy avoiding me...the others...well, look for yourself" she pointed to the seats. I looked to where she wanted and was horrified. The Companions had knocked out Veshema sometime during our fight. From where I was, I could tell that he was even bleeding from where they hit him. They were now carrying him out. I tried to run after them but Aela stopped me. "If you go after them, they will kill him. We have unfinished business" she said, transforming into a wolf once more. I turned back to her slowly.

"You hurt him...you hurt my friend..." I said quietly, trying to keep in my anger. A split second later, I couldn't hold it in any longer. My rage burst forth, so much that I was unable to control myself. "I'LL KILL YOU!" I shouted angrily, running at her as fast as possible. She couldn't even move. By the time she had realized what was happening, I was already in front of her. I slashed at her with my claws, one right after the other. Aela howled in pain again while trying to shield herself. I ignored her feeble attempts at defense and kept attacking. I backed off to see slash marks all over her with blood on my claws. Still furious, I raised my right hand and used Vampiric Drain on her as many times as possible, my rage and despair coursing through each red orb I hit her with. I only stopped when I was unable to use it anymore. She whimpered and reverted her form. Almost every inch of her was covered in blood and scratches. She weakly looked up at me from the ground.

"...good job, kid...you fought a werewolf...and...nnh...tore her to pieces..." she said, so quietly even I could barely hear her. Oddly, she smiled. "You have the same look in your eyes he did...fiery...willing to do anything to protect those he cares about...yet unwilling to take a life..."

I looked down at her and shook my head. I was still furious...more so than I had ever been. However, I would not kill her. Besides...I had to go help Veshema.

"Where did they take him?" I snapped.

"To...the Underforge...it's near the back of Jorrvaskr...hidden with a stone door...in the rock wall...the outline is visible...he should be there" she said, a little louder but still barely audible. I looked at her again, shook my head and left the mead hall. Not even bothering to change form (nobody was around anyway), I found the rock door she was talking about. Seeing no way to open it, I tried breaking it down. I considered punching it but my claws would most likely dig into my hand. Then I remembered I was Dragonborn. I could probably Shout at it. At the very least, it would weaken the wall. I tried remembering what the Jarl had said when he used Unrelenting Force. The only word I could remember was "Fus". I wasn't sure if that was enough but I decided to give it a shot. I faced the door and hoped I could figure out how to do this.

"FUS!" I shouted. A blue energy appeared and hit the rock door, cracking it a little. Not what I expected but it worked...sorta. Not caring anymore, I drew back my fist and punched the wall. It came down rather easily. It shattered and fell to the ground in pieces. I stepped over the rubble to see the faces of the shocked Companions and Veshema who was still unconscious on the ground. They were all standing around some sort of basin which had what looked like a black liquid in it. I ran over to him and tried to wake him up. No matter what I did, he stayed unconscious. I looked up at the closest Companion, even more furious now than I was before.

"What did you do to him!?" I yelled. "Answer me!"

He smiled. "We simply gave him the gift of Hircine"

My eyes widened. Hircine? Wait...but that meant... "...no...You didn't...!" I managed to say. He smiled again and nodded.

"We did"

I stood up and grabbed the man. The swarm of bats surrounded us and took us to a large cliff near Windhelm. I grabbed his leg and held him over it.

"The cure! Where is it!?" I demanded, shaking him a bit. The frightened Companion was barely able to get any words out. So much for being brave...

"T-there is no cure! The only way to get rid of the condition is to throw a head of a particular witch group into a fire in Ysgramor's tomb but all of them were killed years ago and their heads were all burned! Please don't hurt me!" he begged. Resisting the urge to throw him off the cliff, I set him down and went back to the Underforge without him. The others looked horrified upon my return as though they thought I killed the man.

"I thought the Companions were about honor in battle! This is a coward's tactic! There is no honor in what you have done!" I nearly shouted at them. They hung their heads in shame, knowing I was right.

One of them stepped forward. He had long black hair and had a large weapon on his back. "I'm Varkas...and you're right...we've done very dishonorable things today...Kodlak and Ma'shira would be ashamed of us..." he said sadly. "Both of them embodied what it meant to be a Companion...honorable, trustworthy, great warriors...neither killed unless it was necessary...we are not fit to call ourselves Companions..."

I sighed and reverted back to my original form. "Look, you are all great warriors; the best in Skyrim. Sometimes we must do things that do not follow our morals. Am I saying I do not want to bash your skull in for doing this to Veshema? Not even close. However, that does not mean I think none of you have any hope left as warriors. You must simply make sure that something of this sort does not happen again. Now go back to the arena. Aela is hurt and needs attention. Well? What are you waiting for? Go!" I said, pointing towards the door. They obeyed and went to help Aela.

"What are you, the Harbinger?" said a weak voice from behind me. I turned around to see Veshema sitting up and clutching his head.

"Veshema!" I exclaimed. I knelt down hugged him gently. "Are you alright?"

"Yes...I think so..." he muttered, hugging me back. He no longer looked pale, his eyes no were back to their normal color and his teeth were now no longer than normal.

I sighed as I pulled back. "I guess you're a werewolf now..." I muttered. He nodded, not sure what to say. We were both wondering the same thing: how would Serana react to this? Before one of us could ask this out loud, Varkas walked back in carrying Aela. Her scratches were not bleeding anymore and seemed to have healed a bit but there were will scars all over her.

"Oh...hello Aela. Doing better?" I asked somewhat awkwardly. She smiled.

"Yes, thank you. How's your friend?" she asked, seeming genuinely concerned.

"I am fine...thanks" said Veshema, standing up. I stood up too as Aela sighed in relief.

"I am glad to hear that. Look...I'm sorry...about all of this. It's just...sometimes I get worked up easily and don't make the best choices. Because I feel so bad...I promise you that we'll lay off your prey whenever possible" she said. I smiled and got up as well.

"Thank you. I appreciate this. I am sorry but we must be going now. It was...well I can't say it was nice meeting you but it was an honor, I will give you that" I laughed, transforming again. I grabbed Veshema's arm.

"Wait! Before you go...what is your name?" she asked. I smiled while the bats surrounded the two of us.

"My name? Of course. I am Ma'shira, Dovahkiin and ambassador to Lady Serana" I said, bowing slightly. The last thing I saw before the bats enveloped us completely was the shocked faces of Aela and Varkas.


	8. Chapter 8

"_They did what!?_" exclaimed Serana, standing up from her throne angrily about an hour later. I had just finished telling her what had happened, from being challenged by Aela to Veshema becoming a werewolf. "We should kill them for this!"

"No, wait! They realized what they were doing was wrong. Do not kill them. They merely were misguided" I said quickly. Serana sighed and sat back down.

"Fine" she muttered, back to her usual calm self. "But there is a matter we must deal with whether we like it or not. Veshema, you are no longer a vampire and thus cannot stay in this castle. I'm sorry, but it is for vampires only" she said, cutting off both of our angry remarks.

"If he leaves then so do I and I'm taking my power with me" I snapped. "Come on, let's get out of here" I took Veshema's arm and began to walk away. A cloud of bats appeared in front of me and dispersed to reveal Serana in her true form. She looked roughly the same as I did; darker skin, red eyes, wings, longer teeth and claws. The only difference was that her wings were bigger and her claws seemed sharper than mine.

"Leave, and I will kill you. You are not permitted to leave the clan with our power" she said calmly, her voice even smoother than usual.

"I'd like to see you try!" I snapped, transforming as well. She laughed and raised her right hand.

"Oh, this will be fun! Vampire Lord against Dragonborn! You've beaten a werewolf, let's see how you do against me!" she said, grinning. She grabbed my arm and the bats surrounded us once more. We reappeared outside the castle about two hundred feet in the air. Still holding onto me, she dived towards the Earth. Right before we hit the ground, both of us used the Bats to prevent our skulls from caving in. She appeared about five feet away while I appeared on top of the large stone tower.

Without saying anything, she raised her left hand and pointed it at me. I felt myself choking as I was lifted into the air. I grabbed at my throat instinctively but felt nothing. My vision was beginning to become blurry. I could hear her laughing but it was muffled. I stopped trying to breathe and closed my eyes. It was all over...I was going to die on this cold island...

I vaguely heard a muffled voice shout "_Ma'shira!_" that sounded familiar...rough but gentle...it was Veshema. "_Ma'shira, listen to me! Do not give up! You can still beat her!_" he shouted. My eyes snapped open. Serana was still choking me. I couldn't see Veshema anywhere but that didn't matter. I looked at her and, with my last breath, I managed to shout "FUS...RO...DAH!" A mass of blue energy shot towards Serana and hit her, knocking her back and making her grip on me disappear. I appeared next to her and slashed with my claws like I had done with Aela.

"Ma'shira, enough" she said calmly, despite that blood was now flowing from every cut I gave her. She reverted back to her original form and raised her hands. I flinched but she merely cast a healing spell on herself, causing the wounds to close. She smiled at me.

"Not bad. However, had I really wanted to kill you, you would be dead within seconds" she said, brushing some dust off her sleeve. "I suppose Veshema can stay here as long as nobody else knows he's a werewolf. They'll be able to sense and see it of course but as long as he never admits to it, we'll be fine"

Veshema ran towards me as Serana walked back towards the castle. He hugged me the second he was close enough.

"I thought you were going to die..." he cried, tears in his eyes. Wow, he's...not a wimp but...still. Wow. I hugged him back.

"Well I didn't. I'm alright, so stop crying" I said calmly, wiping the tears from his face. He blushed and nodded, backing up slightly.

"...sorry about that..." he muttered, obviously embarrassed. I smiled and walked back to the castle, him following closely behind me. Serana greeted us as we walked through the door.

"Well, I'll keep my word. You are officially the ambassador to the Volkihar Vampires. Veshema, I'm sorry but you are not a vampire so I cannot let you have the title as well. Now, Ma'shira, you are welcome to use any coffin in here to sleep except the one in my room, which is the one we went in earlier. Veshema, you can sleep in one if you want or you can find a bed. That is all, both of you may go. I'll have an assignment for you soon enough" she said. She walked off to her room. Deciding to get some fresh air, we went outside and sat on top of the tower, looking at the sky. The clouds were gray and somewhat foreboding. Snow fell lightly from them, covering the ground and the tower in white.

"It's weird..." I muttered, wiping snow off my fur. "In a little over a week...I went from a normal trader to a Dragonborn and the ambassador for a clan of vampires...speaking of which...I need to learn some other shouts. How do I do that exactly?"

He thought for a moment. "Hmm...I'm not sure. Obviously, absorbing a dragon's soul like you've done about three times now has something to do with it but I don't know the details. It's possible that the Greybeards could help you but it'd take weeks to get there and I'm assuming your power only lets you go places you've seen before"

"In that case," I said, standing up "we had better get moving then. Let's go. We'll need to tell Serana where we're going first"

We went back inside to see Serana talking to another vampire woman. She looked up as we approached.

"What is it? I don't have an assignment for you yet" she said.

"Yes, but I need to discuss something with you" I said, bowing a little. She nodded at the woman who bowed and left the room.

"Alright, what is it?" she asked, slouching a bit in her chair.

I chose my words carefully. "As Dragonborn...I need training. To get that training...I need to see the Greybeards. The only thing is, to get there it would take a long time...months, maybe. I just wanted to let you know that I will be gone for a while"

She sighed. "Nothing will change your mind, will it? Fine. Go see these "Greybeards". I will await your return. Oh, and take this" she said, handing me a letter. "If you happen to run into the Dark Brotherhood on your way there somehow, give their leader this. It's a contract" The letter was sealed tight. Understandable, I suppose though I couldn't fathom why she would need their services.

An hour later, we set out, rowing back to the mainland. Neither of us said anything the whole way until we got back to shore. It had stopped snowing but the sky was still gray and cold.

"Hey, why do you think Serana wanted the Dark Brotherhood?" I asked as we climbed out of the boat. Veshema, being distracted, tripped and face planted climbing out. I helped him up, trying not to laugh.

"Isn't it obvious?" he replied, brushing dirt off his armor. I shrugged.

"No. I'd imagine she's involved in some political trouble or something"

He stared at me for a second. "...what?"

"...we have a Dark Brotherhood in Elsweyr as well. They're assassins that the government hires for political troubles. I never liked the idea but who am I to judge?" I explained. He stared at me again then shook his head.

"...right" he muttered, walking ahead. I was confused but didn't say anything. Maybe the Dark Brotherhood did something else here.

We continued into Solitude and to the Blue Palace. Being somewhat immortal, we didn't technically need food or anything but I figured that I should at least tell Elisif where we're going. Sybille was in a chair reading a book when we arrived. She got up and examined us before speaking.

"So, you accepted their power then? And you, Argonian. You are now Moonborn, are you not?" she asked sternly. We both nodded.

"Very well. Elisif is in the court as usual. Go see her" she said, returning to her book. We walked upstairs to see Elisif slouching in her throne, looking exhausted.

"Oh...welcome back Ma'shira" she said wearily. "How did it go?"

I explained everything that had happened. She remained silent but once I finished, she sighed.

"I see...well in that case, I suppose there's no point in you staying here is there?" she asked. "You should get going. I will await your return"

We bowed and thanked her. About twenty minutes later, we left Solitude, following the stone path for about a mile before stopping. We weren't tired, we just needed a break. There's a difference.

"...so what's it like being a werewolf, Vesh?" I asked, sitting down on a log.

"...what did you call me?" he asked.

"Vesh. Do you not like it?"

"...no, it's fine. Anyway...not much different than being Argonian, although, I do feel stronger and faster...and now I have an odd liking for hunting. Other than that, it's no different"

I nodded, not sure what to say.

"Wait" said Veshema, as though he had a sudden thought, "why aren't we just using your Bats? We're a mile out of Solitude, nobody would see us"

"Because we'd have to go through Ivarstead and I can't have people seeing me in that form" I explained. "I can take us to a point close to it but we'd still have to walk a bit"

I got off the log, brushed some dirt off me armor and transformed. I grabbed Veshema's arm but before we could leave, a voice behind us said "That's a very interesting ability, mister"

I turned to see a little Breton girl with short brown hair and blue eyes, about ten years old, standing behind us. She didn't seem to be afraid of me, which was good but also kind of bad...

"Oh, uh...this is no ability, it's...magic. We're mages, you see and we're testing out a spell for the College of Winterhold. It seems to be working so we were about to head back there" I lied quickly.

"Oh, alright. Cool spell then" she said, examining my wings. I was tempted to just leave but for one thing, that may raise too many questions and for another, she was just a little girl. What harm could she do?

"Hey, I know a really cool spell! I can't use it yet but I can teach it to you, if you'd like! Follow me" she said cheerily, walking off. I looked at Veshema, who shrugged. I sighed and transformed back, following the girl. I suppose it wouldn't do any harm.

We followed the girl into a large, dark forest. At a point where it was so dark, I could barely see without my Night Eye, she turned around.

"Well, we're here" she said, smiling. We looked around. We were almost completely enclosed by trees. I wasn't sure why she brought us here and it seemed Veshema didn't know either.

"...ok, girl. Why did you bring us here?" I asked, crossing my arms.

She looked confused. "To teach you the spell, remember?"

I shook my head. "No. If you were going to teach us a spell, you would have done so back where we met. Plus, you wouldn't have led us here. For another thing, even I can barely see in this darkness. You can see where both of us are, judging by the fact you look directly at both of us. Now, who are you? Tell the truth"

The girl smiled. "Perceptive, aren't you?" Her voice became smoother and less cheerful. "They told me you would be a challenge but I didn't think you'd catch on so fast. You ask who I am?" She closed her eyes for a moment. When she opened them, they were red. "My name is Babette. I may look young, but I'm no more a little girl than you. I was once, of course; three hundred years ago. Vampirism tends to keep one remarkably...fresh. Ah, I do love that line..." she explained. I rolled my eyes. Enough with the vampires already.

"If you're going to scream, do it now. You may be a vampire as well but I have hundreds of years of experience. That's more than I can say for you." she said, laughing and showing off her fangs.

"Believe me; I've dealt with things that make you look like a baby rabbit. Vampires, dragons, werewolves...I've beaten them all. I can certainly beat you" I said. Ok, so I was lying about the vampire part but she didn't have to know that.

"We'll see about that but first..." she raised her right hand. It glowed white for a second before fading.

"No magic. That means no power" she laughed. I sighed.

"I don't have time for this..." I muttered, transforming. Babette was shocked.

"What!? How did you do that!? It's a spell, isn't it? You...wait...you're one of _them_, aren't you?" she growled. I nodded and grinned. She swore under her breath.

"Great...now what..." she muttered. I heard a loud roar from beside me. I turned to see a large wolf standing where Veshema was. Babette backed away slightly. "You've got to be kidding...a true vampire and a werewolf...this will be an interesting story"

"Yes, it will. Too bad you won't live to tell it" I said. Normally, I wouldn't dare hurt a child but she's a three hundred year old vampire. I think I can make an exception. I grabbed her neck and lifted her into the air. She kicked at me but I ignored her feeble attempts at getting free.

"Any last words?" I asked. She smiled.

"Yes. Now, Da'varsho!" she yelled. Before I could finish her off, I heard a rustling in the trees. A figure ran out of the trees and stabbed Veshema with its twin daggers. He howled loudly in pain.

"_Veshema!_" I yelled. In my distraction, Babette kicked me in the chest, making me drop her. She picked up the wolf and grinned at me. A searing pain appeared in my back, forcing me to fall to the ground. The figure that had come out of the trees stood beside her. It was a female Khajiit who also grinned at me.

"Innocence, my brother" said Babette. "Come to the Dawnstar Sanctuary if you wish to see your friend again. Goodbye" They both ran off before I could get up and stop them. The pain subsided quickly enough but I knew they were already too far ahead for me to catch them. I would never find them in this forest. I suppose I just had to go to this "Dawnstar Sanctuary" to get him back. Without another thought, I ran off. I had actually never been to Dawnstar. I knew how to get there but the caravan had never made the trip for some reason.

"I'm coming, Vesh...just hold on" I muttered as I ran at a blinding speed through the forest.


	9. Chapter 9

It took me a week to finally reach Dawnstar. I had been held up by what seemed to be assassins about every half mile, so it took much longer than it normally would. The town was covered in snow, much to my dismay. I prefer jungles to snow. I reverted my form (which I had managed to keep the whole way and not be seen) and went to the inn. I had never even heard of the Dawnstar Sanctuary...maybe an innkeeper would know. I walked in the door and ignored the stares of the people inside. Apparently, it was odd for them to see a teenage Khajiit with nobody else but I didn't care. I walked up to the bartender and asked if he knew anything about it.

"No and even if I did, I wouldn't tell you, kitty. Now run along before I turn you into a rug" he sneered. Some of the surrounding Nords laughed. I grabbed the front of his shirt.

"Listen, mortal, I don't have time to play games with you. Tell me everything you know or this "kitty" will make sure you end up dragon food" I snapped, drawing my sword with my free hand and pointing it at him. At the time, I didn't realize I had called him "mortal" but I didn't notice a lot at that point.

"Now, now...n-no need for that. There's a big black door near here with a skull on it. Keep going straight out of town until you come to it. It looks like it's built into the side of a wall of stone but I don't know how to get in, nobody does! Please, that's all I know!" he stammered, frightened. I let go of him and sheathed my sword.

"Thank you" I said bitterly, walking out the door. I headed out of town and to the black door set into the stone the innkeeper mentioned. It had a large skull on it and spoke as I approached.

"What_...is life's _greatest_ illusion?_" It said slowly.

"Crap...how am I supposed to know this...it's obviously a riddle...hmm..." I said to myself. I closed my eyes and thought for a moment. Maybe something Babette said was a clue. Well, there was that random phrase she threw out there..._innocence, my brother_. Eh, why not?

"Innocence, my brother" I said. The door swung open.

"_Welcome...home_" it said. I went through the door, which shut behind me. I followed the stairs down into some sort of room with two stone columns, four fires (two on each side) and a table on the other side of the left column. As I stepped in here, I heard a deep male voice say "Welcome to our sanctuary. Please, make your way downstairs and we will meet" but I could not tell where it came from. Sighing, I left the room and went forward, unsheathing my sword. To my right was some sort of container for something though I wasn't sure what for. It stood at about ten to twelve feet tall and was a light grey color. Having no time to examine it, I turned left and passed an odd garden full of poisonous plants on my way down the stairs. I arrived at a large room with a table and a fireplace behind it. A man with a red hood was sitting down at the table, eating a piece of bread. He looked up as I approached.

"Ah, so you're the one who nearly ended our little Babette. It's about time you got here" said the man, standing up. He had dark skin, a deep voice and seemed nice but at the same time, uncaring of many things. He was an odd man, let's just go with that.

"Where is Veshema? Tell me!" I demanded, pointing my sword at him. He laughed.

"Now, why in such a rush? Come, sit down with me and we'll talk over a drink" he said, sitting down and pointing to a mug filled with what looked like mead. Seeing the look on my face, he said "and don't worry, it's not alcoholic"

I sat down, wondering what was with this man. "Who are you?" I asked.

"My name is Nazir. I am leader of the Dark Brotherhood in Skyrim. After our last leader was killed..._again_...I became the new one. Let's hope I don't get killed as well" he joked, laughing. Very tempted to make that happen, I said "I'll ask again. Where is Veshema?"

He sipped his drink and did not answer. I stood up. "If you don't tell me, I'll figure it out myself"

He stood up as well and drew his twin swords. "That would be a bad idea, friend" he said, smiling. As though from nowhere, various figures appeared. I recognized the Khajiit woman and Babette but there was also a Nord woman carrying a bow, a Dark Elf male who had two fire spells ready, an Argonian female who looked about my age wielding twin daggers, another Nord woman with a bow, a male Wood Elf with a great sword, a male Khajiit with a battle-axe and a large orc male with two axes. I looked at them as they surrounded me and sighed.

"I don't have time for this" I muttered. "Let's just get this over with"

**Veshema's POV**

I desperately tried to free myself from the shackles that bound me to the wall but to no avail. I was the only one in the room and had been thrown in here when I had transformed back to my normal Argonian form. All I remember was that I had been stabbed by some Khajiit and then knocked unconscious. The next thing I knew, I was in here. To be honest, I was scared. From what they had said to each other when they thought I was still knocked out, this was the Dark Brotherhood sanctuary. Apparently, someone had a contract on Ma'shira. They didn't give details; they just said they wanted him to die. They gave a contract, so the Brotherhood accepted. I can't believe he didn't know about Skyrim's Dark Brotherhood. It was certainly different than the one back in Elsweyr.

I tried again to free myself but still with no luck. I was still very weak. They had healed my wounds since "I was not the target" but I was still exhausted and doubted I could stand up, had I managed to free myself. After another feeble attempt at escape, I heard two voices talking. One sounded like Nazir, the leader, and the other sounded like Ma'shira. He sounded angry and even seemed to threaten him. Nazir laughed and said something that I could not hear. However, I did hear what sounded like many people moving into that room. If I had to guess, the entire Brotherhood was in there.

"Oh no...Ma'shira...please don't die..." I cried softly to myself. Even from here, I could tell he was surrounded. I heard a few moments of fighting that ended in what sounded like a Khajiit male screaming in pain and someone laughing, though I couldn't tell who. I began to cry, sure that Ma'shira was the one in pain.

"No...please...please don't be dead Ma'shira..." I cried. The door to the room I was in burst open. Through my tears, I saw a figure standing in the doorway but my tears made it difficult to see any details. It walked over to me and crouched down.

"Come on...do not cry" said a calm voice, wiping the tears gently off my face. The next thing I knew, the shackles on my arms opened. I fell to the floor, correct in thinking I couldn't stand up from exhaustion. I looked up and saw a Khajiit boy smiling at me. It was Ma'shira.

"Ma'shira!" I gasped, hugging him. "I thought you were dead!" He blushed a bit and hugged me back. When he did this, I felt my heart jump, though I'm not sure why.

"Well I'm not" he said. "Now, come on. Let's get out of here" I shook my head.

"I...kinda can't get up" I muttered. He sighed.

"What am I going to do with you...here" he picked me up and carried me out of the sanctuary. He's stronger than I thought...then again, he is a vampire...in any case, I was just happy he wasn't dead...but there is one thing that bothers me. Why did my heart jump when he hugged me? That has never happened the other times...


	10. Chapter 10

**Ma'shira's POV**

I carried Veshema back outside and set him down on the ground. I sat down beside him. "Well that was fun" I said, grinning. He rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, real fun. You weren't the one stabbed. How did you beat all those people anyway?" he asked. I laughed.

"Easily. I'm not a kitten; I can take care of myself"

He laughed as well. "Right, sorry. Sometimes I forget how old you are, you know...you're only fifteen but you act like you're much older. You have the strength of someone much older too. In the few weeks I've known you, you've become three times as strong as you were when we met"

I shrugged. I hadn't noticed. I mean, yeah I knew I was stronger than before but I'm a vampire. Of course I'm more powerful.

"I think you have too. No offense though, you seem kinda...weak isn't the word I'm looking for...helpless? I don't know, you just seem like the kind of person who is very strong but can't keep themself out of trouble" I said. He shrugged as well.

"I've always been like that. I guess it's just who I am. Well, enough with this talk about who we are or whatever, we need to get you to the Greybeards" he said, sitting up. I nodded and grabbed his arm. I took us to a field about half a mile away from Ivarstead. We walked the remaining way to the steps going up the mountain.

"How far do you think we have to go before we can cheat a little?" he whispered to me.

"Far enough so that we're out of sight. Till then, just walk" I whispered back and began going up the steps. I heard there were seven thousand steps on this thing and I was not looking forward to climbing all of them. It took us an hour to even get out of sight of the village and by this time, night had fallen. Obviously, both of us thrive in the night (though me because of the dark and him because of the moon) but we decided to stop there for the night anyway. It was summer so we didn't have to worry about it being cold (which made no sense because it was snowing in Windhelm and Dawnstar but whatever. Logic pretty much has no meaning on this continent anyway). We each took turns keeping watch during the night for an hour or two, then we'd switch and attempt to get sleep. The one time I passed through Ivarstead, one of the other Khajiit in the caravan told me that Frost Trolls live up here. Yeah...I'd rather not end up dead; that would be nice.

I woke up later on to the sound of a loud groaning from what sounded like an animal. I stood up quickly and grabbed my sword but it was only Veshema standing over a wounded Frost Troll. Apparently, it had wandered near us so he torched it, judging by the burn marks on it. Smart boy.

"Well, we should get going since we're both up and the sun is about to rise" I said, going over to the troll and stabbing it through the heart. As much as I hated killing things, it would only suffer. Its burns were most likely too big to heal.

"Yes...now we can use your power, right?" he asked.

"Yeah but I don't see why I'm the one carrying you around when you can run fast yourself"

"...oh yeah. I forgot about that. Well, in that case..." he transformed into the large wolf again. I transformed as well and we ran alongside each other up the stairs so fast I doubt normal people could even see us.

After about ten minutes, we reached the top of the mountain. A large building was built on top of it. A chest stood between two curving sets of stairs leading to the building. I assume this was High Hrothgar.

"Well...let's just get this over with" I muttered. We both reverted our forms and walked up the steps into the building. Inside there was a large space with only a fire and a big statue at the north end. In front of this was a hooded figure in grey robes, kneeling down in front of the statue as though praying. It looked up, saw us and stood.

"Ah, welcome Ma'shira" it said as it came over to us. It was an old Nord man with a large beard, grey with age. He seemed nice enough, I suppose. He was smiling, at least so that's good. "You must be the new Dovahkiin. I can sense it within you. I must say you are younger than I expected. As far as I know, you are the only teenage Dragonborn and I know a lot. Who is this?" he asked, pointing to Veshema.

"He's my friend" I said. Veshema nodded.

"Y-yes...my name is Veshema, s-sir" he stuttered. Clearly, he has a problem with meeting new people...odd. The old man laughed.

"No need to be so formal, boy. My name is Arngeir. I train the Dragonborn and other students of the "Way of the Voice". Now, you made that long journey so I bet you want to get right into it then. So, Argonian, if you will be off your friend and I can get started" he explained.

I shook my head. "No. Either Veshema stays or we both go and I doubt you can just let an untrained Dragonborn wander the world, can you?"

Arngeir sighed. "Young people...they never understand the wisdom of elders...look, I am sorry but this training is only for the Dragonborn and those who wish to learn the Voice"

"Fine. Goodbye Arngeir" I said, beckoning for Veshema to follow me. We left the building and headed for the steps down the mountain.

"Should you really give up that easily? Besides, I'm not worth that" he muttered. I smiled at him.

"Just wait. In three...two...one..." I muttered as well. As soon as I got to zero, Arngeir opened the door and called out to us "Fine! He can stay but only so long as he swears not to tell another soul what he sees!"

"See? I told you" I said to Veshema as we walk back inside. He grins.

Arngeir looks slightly agitated. "Well then...now that we've settled that...your training will begin immediately. I'm afraid that complete training for you will take six months" he said.

"What!?" Veshema and I exclaimed. "Six months!? It didn't take the last one that long!" Arngeir held up a hand to silence us.

"Please, bear with me. Yes, the last one did not require full training because we were pressed for time. Alduin had already resurrected many dragons and had already become immensely powerful. He has done neither of those things and as such will be impossible to find until he feels he is strong enough to defat any opposition. In the meantime, we will train you as much as we can in preparation for that day" he explained. "Now, if you will stand right here we will begin. I would like to see your Unrelenting Force Shout" he said, pointing to the center of the room. I moved to where he pointed. He stood in front of me

"Right. Let us begin. FIIK LO SAH!" he shouted. What appeared to be some sort of spectral clone of Arngeir appeared to my right. I turned towards it and shouted "FUS RO DAH!" causing the clone to vanish.

"Hey, when do I learn that one?" I asked Arngeir hopefully. He laughed.

"All on good time though I don't think you'd have much use for it. Now, that was actually not too bad. I expected you to only know Fus or _maybe_ Ro but certainly not Dah. I have high hopes for you, boy. High hopes. Now, let's go to the courtyard where I will teach you a new Shout: Wuld" he led us out of the large space and into a hallway where we saw several other old men in grey robes kneeling down in front of the windows. He took us outside and to the left where we saw a large open gate.

"I will give you my knowledge of Wuld before we begin" he said, closing his eyes. A yellow energy, not unlike that of a dragon's soul, came out of him and into me. I began to understand what it meant, how it is used, everything. The energy stopped flowing and he pointed at the gate. "I am going to close that gate. Before I do that, use your Whirlwind Sprint Shout to get to the other side. Ready? Three...two...one...go"

"WULD!" I shouted. The Shout carried me to the other side just before Arngeir closed the gate. I moved nearly as fast as when I'm running in my vampire form. This could be useful.

"Very good" he said, smiling as I walked back over to him. "You are a quick study. Now, let us go back inside and I will teach you "Throw Voice". It is very useful for deceiving your foes who have not detected your presence"

He led us back into the large space. "Now, this time I will teach you all three words but one at a time. The first word is Zul. Here is my knowledge of it" the energy once again flowed out of him and into me. When it stopped, he walked away. "Alright, I am going to stand back here. Use your Throw Voice Shout. If I hear it, you have done it correctly. If not...well we'll get to that" he called. When he was out of sight, I shouted "ZUL!" and waited. Arngeir came back shaking his head.

"No no no. Not like that. You must almost literally throw your voice. Let the urge to have your voice be heard far away fill you. Try again" he explained. He walked away again.

"ZUL!" I shouted again. A moment later, he came back, shaking his head again.

"Nothing. Well, no I shouldn't say that. I thought I heard something which means you're definitely improving but it certainly needs work. We will continue later. We discovered sixteen years ago Shouting too much can kill you. As you're a teenager, you have even less Shouts you can use. In good time, though, you will build up strength and the more you practice, the more Shouts you can use within a short period of time. Come; let us study the Voice and its history. Maybe that will give you a better understanding of how to use it. Sit down" he instructed. Veshema and I looked at each other once, shrugged and then sat. He turned to face the statue.

"Now, where to begin...I suppose we should start at the beginning. Kynareth was the one who gave us mortals the power to use Shouts" he began. Veshema leaned over to me and whispered "heh heh..."mortal"..." causing me to work hard to not laugh. Arngeir continued. "We were then taught by Paarthurnax, the leader of the Greybeards, how to use it. Paarthurnax is a dragon. However, Akatosh was the one to create the Dragonborn and give them the ability to absorb a dragon's soul, though you may know him from your Khajiit religion's name for him, Alkosh. Skipping ahead a bit, during the war between mortals and dragons, Paarthurnax turned on his brother, Alduin, and helped us defeat him. We managed to bring him down, so to speak, using a Shout the Nord heroes created themselves"

"What Shout? Can I learn it?" I asked. Arngeir continued facing the statue.

"If you have an ounce of sense in you, you will not ask me that question again. Now, continuing on...after Alduin was brought down, the Nords saw they could not kill him so they used an Elder Scroll to...cast him away, I suppose, on time. He never truly died; oh no he was too powerful for that. From there, he came to this era and tried to take over the world. He would have succeeded, had the Dragonborn before you not stopped him. However, it was not known what happened to him after that. Some believe he died; obviously they were mistaken. If the dragons return, that means Alduin has as well. Even from here, we can sense his desire for destruction and power" he then went on to explain about various Dragonborns, their role in history, rulers, more about the Voice itself and even a little about the Greybeards. The whole lesson, if you could call it that, took about three and a half hours. Veshema was clearly bored, as it did not involve him in any way but I found it fascinating.

"Now that the boring part is done, let's try that Shout again" he said, walking away. I stood up and stretched.

"That was actually somewhat interesting" I said as Veshema stood up and stretched as well.

"Yeah, sure" he said sarcastically. "Listen, next time you get a lecture about dragons and history or whatever, leave me out of it"

I laughed. "Oh, please. If I left you out of it, you'd probably get kidnapped or something. Admit it, you're helpless without me"

He laughed as well. "Yeah, I suppose so. Anyway, you had better get to working on that Shout; otherwise, Arngeir will have a fit"

"Yeah. ZUL!" I shouted. Arngeir came back.

"Still nothing. Try it again" he said, already walking back.

"This is a real pain...I thought the Dragonborn was supposed to have a natural talent for this kind of thing...why am I having trouble? ZUL!" I shouted again. This time, he didn't even bother to come back. He just shouted "Nothing! Try it again!"

I sighed. This was going to be a long six months...


	11. Chapter 11

**Author's note**: I apologize for the long wait. I haven't really been able to write or update until recently but I should have more time now.

*six months later*

"Good, Ma'shira. Now, try it again to be sure you've got it" said Arngeir. I looked towards the sky and shouted "YOL TOOR SHUL!" and as I did so, a large burst of fire shot towards the sky. We were in front of the steps looking over the mountain. He had decided to train me out here rather than in the courtyard, though I'm not sure why.

"Very good!" said Arngeir happily. "You've made tremendous progress! Now, there is one last Shout I want to teach you. This is one unknown to any other Dragonborn. Even the dragons do not know it. I have managed to perfect it through many years of study and practice. I am sure it will be of use to you. The name of this Shout is "Meteor Shower". Its words of power are Dek, Lan and Soh. In our toungue, Rain, heat, destruction. When used, this Shout will cause large heated rocks infused with metal to rain from the sky. To my knowledge, only Alduin knows this Shout. Technically, his Shout and mine are two very different ones. He can use his by simply roaring at the sky. This one requires words of power but it should achieve roughly the same effect as his. Now, be very careful with this. It will not harm you but it can harm anyone else in the area so be sure to only use it when necessary. Here is my knowledge of the Shout" the yellow energy flowed out of him and into me for the final time. Seconds later, it stopped flowing. Arngeir smiled.

"You have completed your training, Dovahkiin. There is but one last formality to observe. Come with me, please" he turned to walk back into the building. Veshema, who had been watching, followed me but Arngeir turned and stopped him.

"I'm sorry but this is for Dragonborns only" he said apologetically.

"Then I guess it's not for me then. Goodbye Arngeir" we walked past him. He seemed agitated.

"Ma'shira, wait!" he called after us. We turned back around to face him. "I am not saying this to safeguard secrets or anything of the sort! It is literally only for Dragonborns. Anyone else will die from the ceremony. As none of us want that, Veshema needs to stay out here"

I sighed. "Very well. Let's get this over with then" I waved to Veshema and followed Arngeir to the room where we had first met. The other Greybeards were standing in a circle in the center of the room.

Arngeir instructed me to stand in the center of their circle. He took his place and said "Brace yourself now. We are going to Shout at you. You will not be harmed as you are Dragonborn. Are you ready?"

I nodded. The Greybeards began to Shout. Arngeir had instructed me in the Dragon Language a bit so I caught every few words. I missed quite a few though because their Shouts caused toe whole building to shake so much that I could barely keep my balance. From what I could tell, however, they seemed to be welcoming the return of the Dragonborn and they named me Ysmir, Dragon of the North. In the dragon language, they said "_Lingrah krosis saraan Strundu'ul, voth nid balaan klov praan nau. Naal Thu'um, mu ofan nii nu, Dovahkiin, naal suleyk do Kaan, naal suleyk do Shor, ahrk naal suleyk do Atmorasewuth. Meyz nu Ysmir, Dovahsebrom. Dahmaan daar rok_"

They finally stopped Shouting. The building stopped shaking and silence fell across the room. Arngeir walked up to me, smiling.

"Welcome, Ysmir. You have completed your training and are now officially recognized as Dragonborn" he said, bowing slightly. The others bowed as well and muttered "Welcome, Ysmir". For some reason, it didn't feel right to have them calling me that.

"Arngeir...please don't call me Ysmir...it doesn't seem right..." I muttered. He laughed.

"Of course it is right. You are the Dragon of the North but if you do not wish to be called that...we shall not say it" he said, bowing slightly again. I thanked him and asked what I should do now.

"Whatever you wish. Your training is complete. Go to a town, visit the Bard's College, learn magic, whatever you want. Maybe even find a nice girl" he winked, grinning. I felt myself turn red. I mumbled something under my breath about "having no interest in such things". He laughed yet again.

"I was just kidding...though a girlfriend would certainly not be unwelcome, believe me. Besides, you're the Dragonborn. I'll bet you'll have girls lining up to meet you!"

"Yes, goodbye Arngeir" I said, walking to the front doors. "Thank you for training me. I will be back when Alduin is dead" He waved to me as I left. Veshema was sitting on the steps waiting for me.

"So, how'd it go? What was with that shaking?" he asked. I explained what they had said and the ceremony.

"Ysmir, huh..." he said. I nodded.

"Yes but I asked the Greybeards to not call me that"

He looked slightly put down. "Oh...I was going to call you that from now on. I thought it suits you but...if you don't want to be called that then..."

I sighed. "No, if you want to then go ahead. If anyone else does, I'll stab them but...I suppose you can if you'd like"

He smiled. "Thank you, Ysmir. I appreciate that. Though I'm curious...why are you letting me?"

I felt myself go red again. "Oh...uh...well you're my best friend so..."

"Oh...ok" he said. Something about the way he said that seemed...odd. I asked him if there was something wrong as we began the long walk back down the mountain.

"No...it's just...I'm worried...about you" he mumbled.

"Why?" I asked. He should know by now I can take care of myself. So why was he worried?

He looked at the sky, still walking. "I guess...I just can't help worrying...what if Alduin kills you? I don't care about the consequences of it...I mean, of course I care but you know what I mean..."

I shrugged. "I'll be fine. You know I can take care of myself" I said, smiling at him. He nodded and hugged me, catching me slightly off guard.

"Ysmir, please promise me...promise me you won't die..." he said quietly. I hugged him back and pulled away slightly so that I could see his face while still hugging him.

"I promise. I will not die and even if I do...I'll make sure I bring Alduin down with me" I said. He nodded and pulled away.

"Thanks. I suppose we should get going...we have a long way down" he muttered. I nodded. We walked in silence most of the way down. We would have used our powers but we weren't sure when the people in Ivarstead could see us so we didn't take any chances. However, I had plenty of thoughts to keep me occupied. The main one was thinking back to when Veshema hugged me. I noticed that when he did, my heart jumped...that doesn't ever happen with anyone else (not that I was really hugged often but you know what I mean). Thinking on it more, I...actually kind of...enjoyed it...when it was him, that is. What does it...oh Gods...you've got to be kidding...

"We're here" said Veshema, breaking me away from my thoughts. I shook my head a bit and said "What? Oh...right...well until Alduin chooses to show himself there's not much I can do and Serana kind of scares me...I'm in no hurry to go back there. Um...why don't we take a day off? We've been working hard for six months...I think we deserve a break, don't you?"

He nodded. "Well? Where should we go? Solitude? No, too close to Castle Volkihar. Dawnstar? No...I've had enough of that place. Hmm...where then?" he asked.

"Hmm...Riften? No, the Thieves' Guild...Morthal? No, Falion might be tempted to "cure" me...what about Markarth? The Forsworn are gone so the city is peaceful again. Last time I was there, the residents seemed very friendly even though I heard they were not very nice until recently" I suggested.

"...well if you say so. Sure. Why not?"

I grabbed his arm and minutes later, the Bats had taken us to a field near Markarth. We walked the remaining distance but were stopped by the guards on the way in.

"Halt. Official business only" he said.

"I'm the ambassador for the Volkihar Clan. Official enough for you?" I asked.

"This..._Volkihar Clan _let a child be its ambassador? What kind of-" before he could finish speaking, I ran behind him faster than he could blink and drew my sword, positioning it as though I was going to cut his neck.

"I'm young, but more deadly than you'd think" I whispered in his ear. Obviously having frightened, he agreed to let us through. "Thanks" I said, sheathing my sword again.

"Are you crazy, Ysmir!?" Veshema whispered to me as we walked through the gate. "What if he knew who they were? Besides, that was careless! You could get thrown in jail for harassing a guard"

"Believe me, if he knew who they were, we'd have more problems to worry about. Besides, I wasn't harassing him; I was just showing him that he should not underestimate me. Now come on. We need to go find an inn. Let's see...oh yes. There it is" I said, pointing to Silver-Blood Inn. I had stayed there the one time I had visited Markarth a few years ago. It was nice enough, I suppose.

We entered the inn and asked the innkeeper for a room. He scowled.

"Like I'd give a room to filthy beasts like you two. Get going before I kill the both of you" he threatened. I smiled.

"Very well. They opened a new inn not too far from here anyway. I suppose we'll just head there. Goodbye" I said, turning around so he would not see me smiling.

"Wait, come back! Look, I'll give you the room but cause any trouble and you'll pay in more than coin! You room is to the right, first door on the left in the hall" he called after me. I turned back around and took the key.

"Thank you" I said, handing him twenty Septims. We went to our room and sat down on the beds.

"It's so weird to relax for once..." I muttered. I almost felt restless. Of course, I could do without the attempted assassinations, training, fighting and Nords for that matter but doing nothing just felt...wrong. "Let's go take a walk around town before it gets dark" I said, standing up. He nodded and followed me out of the inn. We took a walk up the steps, looking at the water flowing downwards away from us. The town was certainly different from any other one I've been to.

For the next few hours, we walked around town. We stopped in the Hag's Cure to pick up a few health potions and then went to the blacksmith. Veshema needed a new sword as his was starting to dull. Mine, being made by a Daedra, never dulled and I hoped that he never noticed this. The blacksmith was a tall Nord woman who was very nice. She crafted him an Ebony Sword and only asked for a hundred Septims with no questions asked. We paid her and thanked her for her generosity. She waved to us as we left for the inn. By this time, it was beginning to get dark.

We went back to our room and lay down on our beds. "Well...that was an...interesting day" said Veshema.

"Yeah...it's so weird to not fight or anything"

"It is...well tomorrow we'll probably be back fighting things again. Till then, let's just get some sleep. Night" he said, closing his eyes.

"Night" I muttered, closing mine as well. I fell asleep almost instantly. I had barely been asleep for what seemed like five seconds before I woke up. I hadn't heard anything but...something seemed...wrong. I looked over at Veshema's bed.

"Hey, Vesh, you awa-" Veshema was gone. I figured he had taken a walk and managed to leave without my noticing. I yawned and saw a piece of paper on his bed. I walked over to it and picked it up. It read: _The Argonian boy is with us. If you want him back, come to the Shrine of Talos as soon as you read this. The Forsworn_"

"You've got to be kidding..." I muttered. This makes what...three times he's gotten kidnapped now? I sighed and set the paper down. "Just hold on, Veshema. I'll be right there to save your scaly hide again soon enough..."


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

**Veshema's POV**

"Stay there until we come back for you" said a man wearing what looked like some sort of animal hide. He shut the door behind him, trapping me in some room in the Shrine of Talos. Why does this always happen to me? I don't want it to happen to anyone else but come on. Why am I always the one kidnapped? First with the Companions, then the Dark Brotherhood and now the Forsworn. I swear, one day Ma'shira...or Ysmir...is just going to stop saving me one day and I can't say I'd blame him.

Thankfully they didn't bind me like the Dark Brotherhood did so I was free to walk around. There was a single candle on a table in the center of the room but other than those things, it seemed to be completely empty. Then again, it was dark so it was hard to tell. I stopped walking as I heard vague sounds of talking. It sounded like Ysmir and the people who had kidnapped me.

"Alright, let's just get this over with. Where is Veshema?" said the voice that sounded like Ysmir.

"We'll tell you if you give us that circlet you're wearing" said a female voice.

"Seriously? You think I'd just give it to you?" said Ysmir. The female laughed.

"No, but you have no choice. You're surrounded, boy. Give it to us or else"

"You guys are dumber than I thought..." he said. The next thing I heard were several people saying "By the Gods!" and several screams. They stopped after a few moments.

"So, I'll ask again. Where is Veshema?" asked Ysmir. Judging by his smooth voice, he was in his vampire form.

"I-in there! Please don't hurt me!" said a male voice. The door opened. Ysmir was standing in the doorway shaking his head.

"Three times, Vesh. Three times...you know, I think next time you get kidnapped I'll just let you free yourself" he said, smiling but somehow still looking stern. I laughed, knowing he was joking.

"I probably should. Wait...what was that?" I asked. I thought I heard something moving in the room. I looked around but couldn't see anything. Ysmir didn't seem to see anything either.

"Let's just get out of here" he said, walking away. I started to follow him but before I could, a figure came out of the shadows.

"Hello, Argonian" he said, grinning evilly as he plunged his twin daggers into me. I managed to dodge him enough so that he missed by chest but he still got my left shoulder. A searing pain shot through me as I tried to not scream from the pain. He raised his dagger again but before he could, he was pulled away. Ysmir had grabbed him and thrown him to the floor. He repeatedly stabbed and slashed the man with his sharp, black sword even after he had stopped screaming.

"Don't...you...ever...hurt...him...again...!" he said each word with each stab or slash.

"Ysmir, stop. He's...already dead" I managed to choke out through my pain. He turned to look at me. His blood red eyes were filled with anger and hatred. I had never seen him so angry. He scared me, so much so that I forgot about the pain.

"Here, drink this and you should feel better" he said, handing me a health potion. I drank it and my wound closed up instantly.

"Thanks...for everything" I said, smiling. He smiled as well, the anger leaving his eyes.

"You're welcome. Let's go back to the inn and get some rest"

**Ma'shira's POV**

The next day, we left Markarth as soon as we could. There was no way we were staying there longer than we had to.

"Now what?" I asked as we left the city. He shrugged.

"I don't know. Hmm...why don't we go visit your family? I know you said you worked with the caravan but they're in Skyrim right?"

Veshema looked back to see I had stopped walking and was looking at the ground. "Unless you know a way to get to the afterlife," I said quietly, "there is no way for us to see them" He looked shocked.

"Ysmir…I…I'm so sorry…I shouldn't have asked that…I'm so sorry…if you don't mind me asking…how did they die?" he asked, obviously feeling awful for bringing it up.

"...they were killed when the Argonians invaded ten years ago" I said, still looking at the ground. Veshema looked horrified, as though he was to blame.

"…Ysmir…I…I'm sorry….it's because of my people that your parents are dead…I'm sorry…" he mumbled. I hugged him.

"Vesh, it's not your fault. Besides, it's all over with now. All we can do at this point is move forward" I said gently. He nodded and hugged me back.

"Let's get out of here" he said. I nodded and grabbed his arm. I took us about half a mile away from Morthal. There was nothing there, really so I figured that nothing could go badly. Unfortunately, I was very wrong about that.

The Bats dispersed. I reverted my form and led him in the direction of town. Suddenly, a Nord male walked up to us.

"Hello, cat. Or should I say, vampire. What are you, really?" he asked, grinning evilly. I looked at Veshema. He shrugged.

"I am sorry. What do you mean by vampire? I am just a normal Khajiit trader" I said, pretending to be confused. "I am bringing my friend with me on my vacation to Morthal"

The man laughed. "Then what was that just now? I wasn't aware traders had wings and bats. See you, vampire. I'll be right back" he said, running off before I could stop him. I considered hurting him to stop him but that wouldn't work…someone would find him and he'd still tell. I swore under my breath.

"Now what?" I asked Veshema calmly, still staring at the running man.

"Kill him?"

"No. Someone will notice. Besides, you know how much I hate killing"

"Fine…um…seduction?"

"He's too far away for me to catch him. Besides, it would wear off and he'd tell someone"

"Then I don't know"

"Wait...he's coming back...with...oh crap...the entire town of Morthal..." I said. The man was indeed back but there was a crowd of people following him. As they got closer, I could hear their yells: "Burn the vampire! Burn the vampire!"

"Oh crap, let's get out of here!" I said, turning around and running as fast as I could eastward. Veshema followed right behind me.

"What...do we do...?" he panted.

"I don't know, Vesh...keep away from towns for a while, I suppose" I said. I saw mountains rising up in the distance. Unfortunately, I also saw something else. It was another crowd of people. They too were shouting "Burn the vampire!" as they ran towards us.

"How is that even possible!? The nearest town is miles away!" exclaimed Veshema angrily. He did have a point...that really made no sense but we didn't have time to figure it out. I grabbed his arm and turned south, hoping to lose them in the mountains. If we could get there fast enough, that is.

I had never run so fast or been so afraid in my life. All I could do was keep running, hoping to get away from the crowds that were getting closer every minute. That didn't really make sense either but I didn't stop to question it. I just kept running, hoping to escape the Nords...


	13. Chapter 13

Author's note: This is the chapter where the yaoi kicks in but it will get slightly worse in the next chapter. If you don't like homosexuality then don't read it.

I saw a cave cut into the side of the mountain. "Vesh, this way!" I said, pointing to it. We both ran into it and went deep into the dark cave, never stopping to see if anyone was following us and only looking around to see if the other was still with them. Eventually, our exhaustion forced us to stop. We sat down, both breathing heavily despite our dramatically increased strength and energy.

"Why...are you still...with me...? You aren't...accused of being a vampire..." I panted. Veshema took a while to answer, probably because he was too exhausted to speak. When he had got his breath back, he turned to me.

"Ysmir...you're my best friend...I would never leave you...besides, I-" he cut himself off. Even in the darkness, I could see him blushing.

"You what?" I asked. He shook his head and mumbled something that didn't even sound like words. I put my hand on his shoulder. "Vesh, you can tell me"

He nodded. "Promise you won't hate me or think I'm weird...?"

"Of course. What is it?"

He paused again. "Ysmir...I have known you for six months, give or take a few weeks...I hated you when we first met, not just because you were Khajiit. You brought the one thing I was afraid of into my life; difference. I was afraid of my life changing...of becoming dangerous...when the dragon showed up...I blamed you. The only reason I came with you was because I had figured traveling with you would be less dangerous than hanging around my house. Obviously, not my best idea"

"Well then. That makes me feel great, Vesh" I said sarcastically, standing up. He stood up as well.

"Let me finish. Are all Khajiit this impatient? Anyway, continuing on...but once I started to get to know you...I realized that it was not your fault and that you would never do anything bad on purpose. I even started to crave adventure and change...you became and still are my best friend in the world but...I..."

"You what?" I pressed him. He blushed even more and looked away. I remained silent. Sometimes people need time to gather up the courage to say something. I couldn't imagine what he would need to build up the courage to say but I remained silent anyway.

He turned to face me. "I guess what I'm trying to say is...I-"

He broke off as the cave began to shake. With it, we heard a loud, deep voice say "Dovahkiin, I know you can hear me, along with the rest of Skyrim. Come out and face me. I will be waiting with my dragon followers. Bring your pathetic mortals to the the plains near Swindler's Den in two days. The final war will begin there. You will command your mortals and I will command my dragons but neither of us will fight, save for the battle between us and only us. I expect a challenge, Dovahkiin. I will be waiting" I looked at Veshema who seemed frightened.

"Ysmir...it looks like we're going to have to get through the Nords by force. There's no other way to get out"

"No" I said instantly. "I will not hurt anyone who does not need to be hurt, even Nords. As for how to get out and Alduin..." I closed my eyes thought for a moment. He had a point. They probably saw us go into the cave, so leaving that way would not work. However, I refused to hurt them...but maybe...I opened my eyes.

"Alright. I have an idea. First, we need to get out of here. Then...well, you'll see" I said. He looked at me curiously.

"...ok but how do we get out of here?"

"...think about it. You're smart, figure it out"

"...oh. Right, vampire. Sorry"

I smiled. "You're lucky we're friends. Come on, let's go" I grabbed his arm. Seconds later, the Bats had taken us to Jorrvaskr. The mead hall was empty, most likely because everyone was asleep downstairs. Veshema looked at me as though I was crazy when he saw where we were.

"We can't go near any towns! What are we doing here!?" he exclaimed quietly.

"Just trust me" I said, smiling. Without even bothering to revert my form, I led him down the stairs and, after a bit of searching, into Aela's room where she appeared to be fast asleep. She opened her eyes as we entered the room.

"Hello. What are you two doing back here?" she asked, sitting up. Her scars had healed up a lot by this point. They were still obvious but seemed a lot better than the last time I had seen her.

"I need your help. First, did you hear a loud voice from nowhere a few minutes ago? It said something about Swindler's Den. Second, did you hear anything about a vampire being spotted near Morthal?"

"Yes but it has nothing to do with us, I'm sure that you could handle it...and yes. So that vampire is you? Great...they have all of Skyrim after you, you know. They used mages to get the word to every city in Skyrim. As for the voice...I have a few guesses about who was talking. What do you need from me?"

"You're the Harbinger. You have some authority in this town, right? Find some way to get everyone who can fight to the plains. I don't care how you do it, just make sure it happens. Alduin has his army. We need to have ours. Can you do this?"

Aela grinned wolfishly. "Of course I can. What will you do, though?" she asked.

"You'll see. In the meantime, just get everyone to the plains. I will see you in two days, Harbinger" I said, bowing. I grabbed Veshema's arm again and took him to the Dawnstar Sanctuary. He seemed slightly scared to come back here. Still not bothering to revert my form, I followed the steps down into the large room. Nazir was sitting there, eating bread as usual.

"You have a lot of nerve coming back here" he growled. "I may be a somewhat forgiving man, but I'm finding it hard to forgive you, cat"

I raised up a hand to silence him. "Please, Nazir. I need your help. I am the Dragonborn and Alduin has challenged me to our final battle, as I'm sure you've heard. You and your...assassins...are good at covering up the truth, correct? I want you to make people believe that I am dead. As I'm sure you've noticed, I was spotted and now have people after me. I don't care how you do it, just make it happen"

"And why should I help you?"

"Either you help me, or you die by dragon. Your choice" I said. Nazir stood up.

"Fine but only because I have no other choice" he growled. With that, the Bats took us to Riften. We appeared in the part below the main city so nobody saw us. I reverted my form as we climbed the stairs.

"What are we doing here? This is Riften, isn't it?" he asked as we entered the main part of the city

"Yes. We still need the help of a few more people. Now, where to find the Thieves' Guild..." we went to the inn, hoping the innkeeper would know something. Thankfully, nobody recognized me. They were all probably too drunk to notice.

The innkeeper was an Argonian female. "Yes? What do you want?" she asked impatiently.

"We're looking for the Thieves' Guild. Where is it?"

"Why would two boys like you be looking for them of all people?"

"We need their help with something"

"You had better not be stealing anything. Listen, don't tell anyone this but...that woman over there, drinking alone with the white-blonde hair...she's a member. She paid me a lot of gold to keep my mouth shut. Go speak to her"

"Thank you" I said, walking over to the woman. She looked at me and I could instantly tell she was not one to cross.

"Time is money. What do you want?" she asked even more impatiently than the innkeeper.

"I need help from the Thieves' Guild" I said, looking around to make sure nobody was close enough to hear. She seemed a little surprised.

"Oh, really? Why would two teenagers want with them, huh?" she asked, narrowing her eyes, suspicious.

"That depends. Are you high enough in the organization to make decisions?"

"...how did you know that?"

"Not important. Answer my question"

"...fine. Yes, I am. What do you need?"

I got right to the point. "I'm the Dragonborn and need help with fighting Alduin but I need something done only thieves' can manage. First, I need you to get the town's fighters to Swindler's Den. After that, I need you to steal the dragon's food supply. Obviously, they need large sources of meat...mammoths, I assume. I need you to kill the mammoths or whatever they eat as stealthily as possible and give the meat to our troops whenever possible. Dangerous, I know but only thieves as capable as you can do this. Well? Will you do it or not?"

The woman laughed. "You've got an air of authority about you. I like that. Fine, we'll do it. The name is Vex, by the way; second in command to Guildmaster Brynjolf. See you then" she said, standing up and leaving the inn. We followed her out but she seemed to have vanished into the shadows themselves. That being done, we had two more people to visit.

We arrived outside of Castle Volkihar. Ignoring the gargoyles, we went inside and stopped in front of Serana's throne.

"Finally back from your training? Good, I have something I need you to do. Go to-" she began but I cut her off.

"No time Lady Serana. I assume you heard Alduin. I need you to help us fight him. Fight from the shadows if you must but help us however you can. I don't have time to stay around. I'll see you at Swindler's Den, I hope. Goodbye, Lady Serana" I said. Before she could even open her mouth to speak, Veshema and I had already left for High Hrothgar. Unfortunately, we appeared directly in front of Arngeir but we had other things to worry about.

"What is this!? How did you do that!? And why do you have wings!?" he exclaimed, backing up slightly.

"You heard Alduin. Teach me the Shout used to bring him down" I said, offering no explanation. Arngeir looked somewhat annoyed.

"What did I tell you? Do not ask me that. I will not teach you. One, I do not know it. Only Paarthurnax does. Two, Dragonrend is too dangerous to use. It was created from hate and fear. To use it, you'd take that same hatred into yourself. Young people these days...the last Dragonborn asked me to teach him as well. He learned it eventually but look where that got him. Dead, killed by dragons! They say he was killed by Shouting too much! True, but only half so! He was killed because he used Dragonrend far too much and the hatred consumed him!" he ranted.

"Where is Paarthurnax?" I asked, ignoring his rant.

"On the top of the mountain but you cannot see him without permission! It is-" what it was we never found out. As soon as he told me, Veshema transformed and we both had run out of the building and up the path to the top of the mountain before he even knew what was going on. The run took about two minutes thanks to our speed. The top of the mountain was...odd. For one thing, a large stone wall rose out of the snow near the edge. For another, some sort of wind or energy or something swirled around in place in the shape of a cone about twenty feet away. It was very faint and grey colored but was still visible. We ignored it and walked to the stone wall. Strange runes were carved on it. Looking closer, I realized they were in the Dragon Language. Before I could read them, a large beast flew down and perched on the wall like a bird.

"Drem Yol Lok, Dovahkiin. Why have you come here to my _strunmah_, my mountain?" it asked.

"Drem Yol Lok. Are you Paarthurnax?" I asked in return, ignoring Veshema's confused stares. He learned a tiny bit of the Dragon Language from overhearing my studies but not that much.

"_Geh_" he replied. "Yes, I am Paarthurnax. What do you need? Let me guess...you wish to learn the _Thu'um_ Dragonrend, correct? I can teach you but be careful, Dovahkiin...this Shout is very dangerous..._krosis_, apologies. I know that is not what you wish to hear. Fine. The words of this _Thu'um_ are _Joor, Zah_ and _Frul_. Here is my knowledge of it"

"Pogaan bruhn, Paarthurnax" I said, thanking him in the Dragon Language. I began to leave the mountain top but he called me back.

"Draen, Dovahkiin. Wait! There is one thing I would like you to do before you go and face my _Zeymah_, my brother. Meditate on a word of power and let its meaning fill you. I'm sure it will be of use. First, pick a word. Your choices are _Fus_,_ Yol_, _Feim_, _Hass_, _Suleyk_, and _Onikaan_. Which one appeals to you, Dovahkiin?"

I thought for a moment. "..._Yol_" I responded.

"Fire, in your language. Let the meaning of _Yol_ fill you. Fire destroys but it also can do so much more. Carefully used, fire can be a great weapon. What will you burn? What will you spare? That is _Yol_" he explained. I closed my eyes and did as he instructed. Soon, it felt as though a small fire was burning in my chest. It did not hurt, but rather felt...warm...but also gave me a feeling of power. I opened my eyes.

"Your "Fire Breath" Shout is now stronger than before. Use it to good use, Ysmir. If you wish to meditate on another word, come back and see me. That is all. _Yelinok, _goodbye" he said. He flew off the wall and over the mountain, out of sight.

"...well...that was...odd. At least you got the Shout" said Veshema, slightly startling me. I had almost forgotten he was there.

"Yes...but what to do for the next two days..." I muttered. There wasn't much I could do at this point. However, I did need a shield, now that I thought about it. I've never used one before, having no need to but I figured now would be a good time to start. "Alright. We need to find shields for both of us. Any idea where we could get one?"

Veshema went silent, thinking. "Well...Dekath has some weird shield Shira used to use. Maybe he'll lend it to you" he said slowly. "As for me...I'll get an Ebony Shield crafted, I suppose. Don't worry about the cost; I'll handle it while you're with Dekath"

"...I'd ask how you'll get it but I don't want to know" I said, grabbing his arm yet again and taking us to Dekath's house. He was sitting in the chair by the fireplace when we arrived. He quickly stood up when he saw us.

"Good, you're not harmed. I'm assuming Ma'shira joined the Volkihar Vampires? I can tell by your armor. That is a new form though...anyway, what do you need?" he asked Veshema.

"We need shields. Can you lend him that old one you have? While you do that, I need to go to the blacksmiths to get one for myself. See you in a bit" he said, walking out. Dekath smiled and turned to me.

"Thank you" he said.

"For what? I didn't do much..."

He turned back towards the fireplace. "Veshema used to be scared of everything...so much so that he would never go anywhere by himself...but now that he's met you, he seems much braver and outgoing" he said. He started to laugh slightly. "I guess I'll have a new son-in-law soon then"

I felt myself go red. "...w-what?" I asked, not sure if I understood him.

"Veshema...he's...well let's just say that I can tell he likes you much more than as a friend. Only someone very important to him could change him that much within only six months. It took me years to even get him to talk to strangers and we're very close. I honestly think he loves you" he explained. I looked away.

"...I doubt that's how it is..." I mumbled, somewhat unsure of what to say. He smiled at me.

"Oh, come on...it's obvious. Besides, you love him back...don't you?" he asked.

"What? How did you-I mean-" I stuttered. He laughed again.

"It's obvious with you as well...the way your eyes light up when you look at him...the way you act around him...your mood even changed when he left the room...I can tell you love him deeply. When he comes back...I'll leave. Talk to him...you should both settle this before the battle begins" he said, smiling. I looked away again. Almost the second after he said this, Veshema came back, holding an Ebony Shield. Dekath excused himself from the room, saying he had to go do something in town. Veshema set the shield down on a table and walked over to me.

"Well, I got the shield. It was rather easy, to be-Ma'shira, what's wrong?" he asked, noticing I was still bright red. He seemed concerned. I also noticed he called me Ma'shira...not Ysmir...why?

"...nothing. I just...can we talk...?" I mumbled.

He tilted his head slightly, obviously confused. "Sure. What about?"

I looked away from him. "...I...need to tell you something..."

He held up a hand. "Alright...but...I want to go first...I have to tell you something too. Back in the cave...I didn't get a chance...so can I say it now?"

I nodded. He blushed as well and took a moment to speak. "...I...look...Ma'shira...you're the only person I've met who has such a kind heart...is so caring...and compassionate, even to those who hate you...or that you should hate. I guess that's why I...I..." he said, looking down.

"...Vesh...?" I said quietly. He looked up, a deeper red than ever before.

"Ma'shira, I love you"


	14. Chapter 14

I was slightly shocked. I figured Dekath was just being the weird old guy he is (well, not old but you know what I mean). I didn't think he was actually right.

"...you...you what...?" I asked, sure I had misheard him.

"I said I love you...I'm sorry...I know you don't feel the same way...cliché line, I know but it's true..." he muttered.

It took only a few seconds for me to decide what to do next. I grabbed his shoulders, pulled him forward and kissed him. After a few seconds, he closed his eyes and wrapped his arms around me. I did the same with him, my heart beating madly. I could feel his heart beat equally as fast.

"I love you too" I said, pulling away. He seemed a bit stunned.

"But...what about Sangu-" he began but I cut him off with another kiss.

"I do not care...all I care about is you. I love you...more than anything in the world...Veshema" I said softly. He smiled and hugged me. I held him in my arms and smiled as well. It was weird but...I felt really happy...more so than I've ever felt.

"...you know...I feel...safe...in your arms..." he said. As though realizing what he said, he blushed again. I held him closer.

"Good...you should feel safe. As long as I'm around...I'll never let anything hurt you...I love you too much to let that happen..."

We finally pulled apart a few minutes later, him still bright red and me smiling. I pulled him close again and whispered to him "Why so embarrassed? Do you not want this?"

"Shut up, Ma'shira...! You're lucky I love you..." he muttered, but grinning.

"Yes, I am" I said, kissing him once more. At that moment, Dekath walked into the room, grinning himself and holding an odd looking shield. We quickly pulled apart, hoping he didn't see that. Unfortunately, the fact that he was grinning widely hinted that he did.

"It's about time. I guess I was right, then. In any case, here's the shield. It's called Spellbreaker because, when raised, it creates a ward that protects from spells and even ice or flame from a dragon. I'm sure it will be of use" he set the shield down on a table.

"Oh, thanks. Wow...sounds useful. Now what should we do until the battle starts?" I asked either of them, hoping to get the subject far away from me and Veshema.

"I suggest you both plan and relax. You two have been working so hard...you deserve a rest. Stay here or go somewhere else. Either is fine"

"Let's go somewhere else...I don't like Windhelm much. Unfortunately, we can't go to any towns...well, actually we may be able to go to Riften. The innkeeper didn't recognize me...maybe we could pay her to not say anything" I said.

"What do you mean she didn't recognize you?" asked Dekath, grabbing a sweetroll and sitting down in a nearby chair.

"...you mean...word hasn't gotten to Windhelm yet?" said Veshema slowly.

"About what?"

"...is anyone looking for a vampire?"

He looked surprised. "Yeah, one was spotted outside of Morthal. Everyone...well not me, but most people are looking for it. Why?"

I nervously smiled. "...you see...that vampire...it might have been...um...me"

Dekath dropped the sweetroll and stood up, staring at us. He was most likely processing our stupidity or something. "You mean to tell me...you were spotted outside a town..." he said slowly. We nodded, looking away.

"Look...Dekath, we-" began Veshema but a glare cut him off.

"Do you realize how incredibly stupid that was!? Why would you come back here of all places after being spotted? Are you two idiots!?" he snapped. I glared back at him.

"I don't care what you call me but insult Veshema and we have a problem" I growled, trying and failing to keep my voice calm. "I appreciate all you've done for me but I will not allow you to say such things about him"

"I'll say what I want about him! I know it was not intentional but you must realize how incredibly stupid that was. And you" he growled back, turning to Veshema. "Why did you not stop him from...doing whatever he did? Why are you still with him anyway? He's wanted throughout Skyrim! You shouldn't have anything to do with him!"

"Because I am not a Seer, _father_" he said with obviously fake politeness. "As for why I'm with him...I love him. I won't leave, no matter what happens. I thought you of all people would understand but clearly I was wrong. If you can't accept that...then we have nothing more to say to each other" he held onto my arm. "Let's go, Ma'shira" I transformed, shot one last look at Dekath that clearly said "_I hope you're happy_" and took us to Swindler's Den. I had hoped to at least scout out the area and clear the cave of bandits before we had to fight.

"I'm sorry, Vesh...this is all my fault..." I muttered when the Bats had vanished and I hadchanged back to my usual form. He gently kissed me.

"Don't worry about it, ok? It's not your fault and even if it was, we all make mistakes. All we can do is move forward and never regret a decision" he said, smiling. I couldn't help smiling as well.

"Thanks...we should begin clearing this cave" I said, giving him a quick hug and drawing my sword. There were only about ten bandits, none of which were very powerful. I let Veshema have most of them. He turned into a werewolf and killed the bandits within a matter of minutes while I went after the leader. He took about ten seconds to kill, probably underestimating me since I'm only a cub...or at least that's what he thinks. That was likely his last thought as I drove the pommel of me sword into his head, knocking him out. I refused to kill him so I dragged his body outside. If he woke up, he'd likely be too scared to come back into the cave.

"That was easy. We can make this into a military base" I said to Veshema, who was looking through the pockets of the dead, taking any gold or arrows he found, once back in the cave.

"Yeah. At the least dragons won't be able to get in here easily" he said, still rummaging through the bodies. He found about a hundred Septims, a hundred arrows and a few potions as well as a paralyzing potion.

"Good, we can use all of those" I said, looking around the cave some more. This would be a good place to stay until the final battle. As much as I'd like to be fighting with everyone, it would not be good if I was killed before meeting with Alduin, or after for that matter. How about I just don't die at all, that would be great.

"Alright, let's start planning. We have a day left to do this" said Veshema. He went over to one of the walls and destroyed it with magic. "I think we need to create some sort of secret room for you. Other soldiers will want to come in here from time to time and they must not see you, otherwise they'd know who you are" He destroyed the wall further until a tunnel about half a mile long and going thirty feet below the room was formed.

"This could work. Thanks, Vesh. How will I get in? We'll have to seal up the entrance" I said once he had come back up to the main room.

"I'll use Illusion magic to make it seem as though there's a wall there. If anyone goes towards it, I'll distract them somehow. Even if they went through, it'd be too dark to see" he explained, his right hand glowing blue. A stone wall appeared, covering the hole he had made.

"Wow, you're pretty good" I said, impressed. The one time I had tried to learn magic, I nearly caught a town on fire so even though I hated most mages, I had a certain respect for them. He smiled.

"Thanks. It gets easier once you learn the basics though I'm still only an Adept at the most" he said, going over to a table and scanning the map of Skyrim that lay on it. "Alright...we're at Swindler's Den...I see why Alduin chose here, there's a lot of room and not many towns near it...that may not be good for us, it'll take everyone longer to get here..."

I looked over the map as well. "Yes, that could be a problem. However, there are some rock formations nearby; those could be useful shields against dragon attacks...not nearly enough for my liking though. As for a strategy...hmm...I don't really know. We can have some archers fire from the mouth of the cave and go into it if a dragon attacks, then go back out when they leave but we can't rely on archers. They wouldn't hit that many...if we could just bring a dragon down, beating it wouldn't be an issue. Unfortunately, I can't use Dragonrend from the cave so that's out of the question" I said, thinking. This would certainly be difficult to say the least.

"What if we had the Greybeards use Dragonrend on the dragons to get them to the ground then we have our troops finish them off?" he suggested.

"Hmm...That could work, but I don't know if they'd be willing to cooperate or even learn the Shout for that matter. It wouldn't hurt to ask though. I'll go by myself. Stay here" I said. I went to High Hrothgar and, like before, appeared directly in front of Arngeir, who was kneeling in front of the large statue. I really need to work on where I appear...

"Oh, so you're back are you? You have a lot of nerve" he said, his eyes narrowed. I was getting sick of hearing I had "a lot of nerve"...

"Just listen to me. I learned Dragonrend from Paarthurnax but I need all the Greybeards to learn it as well. If you do that, you can bring the dragons down from the sky during the battle then the others can finish them off" I said quickly, not caring that he was annoyed. He seemed surprised but still mad.

"Are you out of your mind, boy? Why should we help you? The Greybeards have not actively participated in any war and we are not about to start, nor will we learn such an atrocious Shout"

"Look, either you help me or we all die. Your choice"

"You-you insolent..." he began angrily but sighed. "I...I am sorry. I should not have let my emotions get the better of me. Alright. We will help you...we will not like it but we'll help"

"Thank you" I said, returning to Swindler's Den. Veshema was still looking over the map, seemingly trying to figure something out.

"Oh, you're back. That was fast. How did it go?" he asked.

"Good. Arngeir said the Greybeards would help, but they won't like it"

"That's good. They can get over not liking it. Hey, I was thinking. What if we had the College of Winterhold help us?"

"I'd imagine they are if they can get here in time. Surely they heard Alduin"

"Oh yeah..."

We spent the remaining time we had planning for the battle. People from various towns, the first being Whiterun, arrived at the cave and set up military tents. Aela entered the cave and into the room Veshema had created. We had decided shortly before this that anyone who already knew that I still lived or that could help might as well know where I am.

"I got as many warriors from Whiterun here as I could. The only people who aren't here are those who cannot fight" she said, crossing her arms.

"Alright. Thanks Aela" I said, not looking up from the map. We had made several notes and such on it, crossing out things every so often and writing new things.

"When do you plan to show your army who their commander is?" she asked, leaning against the wall of the cave.

"During our last battle"

"Right...what should I tell anyone who asks until then?"

"I don't know. Make something up"

"Thanks, you're a great help" she said sarcastically.

"Ok, you try organizing an entire battle plan against dragons without being seen and then worry about something like that" I said, still not looking up and crossing out a few words. As much as I did not like being rude or short or anything, I was tired and wasn't in the mood for dealing with people at the moment. She rolled her eyes and left the cave, passing Veshema on the way out.

"Hey, Ma'shira? Arngeir and the other Greybeards are here. Want to see them?" he said after a quick goodbye to Aela. I nodded, still going over the map. There were not nearly enough ways for us to avoid the dragon attacks. That's probably why Alduin chose here. I considered having Veshema create stone barriers or something but one, I don't know if he could do that and two, I'd rather not exhaust him if he could.

Veshema came back several minutes later, leading the old man who had his arms folded inside his robes as he walked. "We did as you asked. All the Greybeards now know Dragonrend" said Arngeir irritably. "I still hate that we have learned such an awful Shout. Do you at least have a plan to beat Alduin?"

"...uh...you could say that" I muttered, finally looking up at him. I had a plan to some degree. It was called "use the Greybeards and don't die". He looked very stern, as though he was my grandfather who had just caught me doing something wrong.

"You're telling me that you don't even know what you're doing? Great, we're all going to be killed! Might as well pray to the Gods for safe travels to the afterlife now!" he ranted, leaving the cave. I rolled my eyes but otherwise ignored him. I had more important things to be doing then worrying about an old man.

An hour passed. I had made some progress on a strategy but I wasn't sure it would work. If the Thieves' Guild managed to steal the dragon's food, they would be considerably weakened. I thought of poisoning the remaining food we couldn't steal but I wasn't sure that would work unless I found a skilled alchemist. I practiced a bit in my spare time but I wasn't nearly good enough to create a poison strong enough to make a living creature toxic to eat or that would be harmful to dragons. Until then, all we could do was rely on the Greybeards.

"How is the battle strategy coming along?" asked Veshema, sitting down in a chair beside me. He later told me that he had been organizing everybody who had managed to get here and even with the help of Aela, it was not easy. Besides Whiterun, only a few other people had arrived from various towns because they were passing by. There were a few from Windhelm and a Dark Elf had come from Whiterun so obviously this didn't end well.

"Not too good. I've had a few ideas that, given perfect conditions, would work fairly well but these conditions would be hard to manage" I said wearily, crossing out a few words again.

"And what would those be?"

"I'd need an incredibly skilled alchemist, for one thing. I don't even know any alchemists, do you?"

Veshema thought for a moment. "Hmm...no, not personally. Well, actually...maybe Babette would know something. At the very least, she might know of someone skilled enough. She's over three hundred isn't she? I think she just got here, too. I'll go get her, if you want" he suggested. I didn't really want to deal with the girl but what choice did I have? I nodded and Veshema went off to find Babette. He came back ten minutes later with the girl following him and left the room, clearly not wanting to be near her longer than he had to. I guess the memory of the Dark Brotherhood incident was still fresh in his mind. Honestly, I don't blame him at all.

"Hello, Ma'shira. It's nice to see you again" she said happily, sitting down next to me.

"...why are you so happy? Shouldn't you hate me?" I asked, confused. I had nearly killed her friends and her, as well as disrupt their contract. Why is she happy?

"Anyone who can beat the entire Dark Brotherhood that easily has my respect and friendship. Besides, us vampires must stick together" she said, smiling. Despite what she had put me through, I couldn't help trusting her.

I smiled as well. "Good. Anyway, I need your help. Do you know any skilled alchemists? By skilled, I mean incredibly talented"

"You're looking at one" she laughed. "I've been practicing alchemy for more than two hundred years. What do you need?"

I explained my plan to her. If she thought it wouldn't work or was stupid, she didn't show it. If anything, she smiled even wider.

"That's it? Alright, I can make a poison like that in my sleep. I can even deliver it. I am an assassin, after all. Such things are easy. Maybe Vex can help me when she gets here. I never liked her but maybe she'll listen to reason this time" she said, standing up and leaving me alone once more. I worked from then on without any other people coming to see me. It was late into the night before Veshema came back and sat down beside me again.

"How's it coming?" he asked again. I smiled wearily and rubbed my eyes. I felt exhausted but I had made some progress.

"Great, really. At least we have some sort of plan now but if I don't get to sleep soon, I'll probably pass out or something" I said, standing up and stretching. I had been sitting down so long that my limbs felt rather weak. I paced the room a bit to get rid of the feeling.

"Hey, Ma'shira? I've been thinking...there's...something I need to ask you" muttered Veshema once I had stopped walking around.

"Alright? What is it?" I asked, yawning. I had no problem staying awake for him but I kind of hoped this wouldn't take too long. That makes me sound awful but it's true. Instead of answering, he blushed and looked away.


	15. Chapter 15

"I..." he began but a loud sound cut him off. It sounded like a roar of some sort and the screaming of several people. After that, there was another sound from the animal but I don't know how to describe it. It sounded high-pitched and with it there was what sounded like the crackle of fire.

"Dragons...I figured Alduin would do something like this" I growled angrily. There was a small part of me that hoped Alduin would play fair (or as fair as it could get with dragons against mortals) even though I doubted he would. I grabbed Spellbreaker from a nearby chair and ran to the mouth of the cave, forgetting I was supposed to stay hidden. It was Windhelm all over again; tents were on fire, lighting up the dark night with an orange glow. People were running around all over the place, some screaming, some getting water, some tending to the burned but all frightened. The heat from the flames combined with my weakness to fire and my fur almost made me pass out right then. I later found out that if it wasn't for Veshema placing a resist fire spell on me, I likely would have.

Several dragons flew in circles over the turmoil like vultures feeding on the chaos. None of them attacked, only watched everyone try to put out the fires. Aela was ordering some people to do specific jobs while the Greybeards were either Shouting at the dragons or using Frost Breath on the tents in an effort to put out the flames.

"Ma'shira, you need to get back to the cave before anyone sees you! I'll take care of this, just go!" exclaimed Veshema, running into the heart of the chaos. That settled it. I couldn't just stand around and let anyone get hurt, least of all him. I still did my best to keep out of sight, though this was difficult as people were everywhere.

"_Fo!_" I Shouted at various tents. Using the full Shout would likely destroy them but only using one word worked fine. The fires went out almost instantly, leaving only scorch marks but no other damage. Thankfully, everyone who saw me was too busy or frightened to notice that I was using the Voice. It really shows what fear does to people.

The sun was had risen before all the fires were put out and all the hurt were accounted for. Only three or four tents were destroyed and only one person was killed, a skinny, black haired Nord male who got caught in the middle of an inferno. He was carried off by his weeping family to be buried. The dragons were still flying around above us but nobody paid any attention to them. After making sure there were no more fires, I collapsed and lie on the ground.

"If that's what it's like without the dragons even attacking, I shudder to think what it'll be like when the actual battle begins..." I muttered to myself. I was not looking forward to it, to be honest. I just wished those dragons would leave us alone. I assumed that I was a bit out of it because it seemed as though one of them was flying lower...and towards me. Then I realized that it was. A blood red dragon was flying closer and closer to me. It stopped in the air and opened its mouth. I tried to get up and get away but my body refused to move. I was too exhausted. I suppose this was from Shouting too much. I couldn't even raise Spellbreaker. My arm felt as though it was made of lead.

"_Is this it...? Will I die...just like Shira...?_" I thought. Fire formed in the dragon's mouth. It shot towards me faster than an arrow, the heat becoming unbearable almost instantly. I closed my eyes and waited. I suppose someone else would have to kill Alduin.

"_Ma'shira!_" a voice shouted. I couldn't tell who said it, my thoughts were too clouded. All I could focus on was the increasing heat as the stream of fire came ever closer to me and along with it, my death. Suddenly, the heat went away. I opened my eyes slightly and saw someone standing over me, facing away. Their right hand was outstretched in front of them, blocking the stream of fire with a ward. The dragon finally relented, closing its mouth and flying away with the others into the distance with a loud roar. The person who had blocked the fire offered a hand to help me up.

"Looks like things were turned around this time, huh?" he said. I took his hand and stood, shaking my head to clear my vision and my thoughts. "Hey, you alright?"

"Yeah...I'm fine...thanks, Vesh. I guess they did" I said, laughing. This certainly was a change, wasn't it? I wonder why he didn't do that in Windhelm though...I kissed him briefly and looked at the sky. There were no more dragons anywhere to be seen, but this probably wasn't a good thing. I had a feeling that Alduin wanted to start things a little early. If this was the case...I might as well let this army know who commanded them. I beckoned for him to follow me and led him to the edge of the camp overlooking the open plains. I instructed him to raise a rock platform and then go get everyone who was fighting and have them gather under the platform so I was speaking over them.

I stayed hidden inside Swindler's Den until Veshema told me that everything had been taken care of. Sighing, we went back through the now deserted camp and to the platform. Veshema stood beside me as I stepped up to the edge of it, overlooking my army (wow, it's weird to say that). He was there to make sure nothing bad happened while I spoke, be it from my army or Alduin's if they decided to show up. There were only about a hundred and fifty people that managed to show up, though that would have to do. I plan to fight Alduin today and finish him off before this drags out too long.

"Who are you, cub? We were told that we would be meeting our general" shouted a tall Khajiit male from the center of the crowd. I held up a hand to silence him, somewhat amazed that nobody had recognized me. I was about to speak when I saw that I was right; Alduin wanted to start early. He already had dragons lined up about two hundred yards away. Great.

"You are. I am the general" I said, trying to ignore the menacing giant lizards in the distance. Some of the Nords laughed.

"You, the general? Get back to your fish and milk, cat. Show us the real general, the _real_ Dragonborn!" said one of them.

"We do not have time for this. Fine" I growled. "_Yol Toor Shul!_" A large burst of fire shot towards the sky, the heat almost as unbearable as dragon fire. "Believe me now?"

_"...our Dragonborn...is a child!?_" exclaimed the Nord angrily. "What next, a vampire!? Come to think of it, you look a lot like that vampire spotted near Morthal. I heard he was killed by wolves when fleeing though"

I shot a look at Babette, who was standing near the back that said "_Wolves. Really?_" She grinned but didn't say anything.

"...I suppose you have a right to know. That is me" I sighed, transforming. Several people cried "By the gods!" and others screamed. A few people didn't seem to care but for the most part, fear set in around the group. I expected this but I needed to fight in my vampire form, otherwise I'd likely be killed and I'd rather not be shot with an arrow because they think I'm an enemy.

"Will we really sit by and let a vampire command this army!?" shouted the Khajiit to the crowd after the shock had subsided.

"_No!_" most of them shouted in unison, raising their swords up into the air. "Burn the vampire!" Babette slowly backed away, obviously hoping they didn't figure out about her. Although I did not blame her at all, some help would have been nice. I don't know what she could have done but at least she could have tried something.

Veshema lost it. "Just listen to him, you idiots! If you'll stop being so judgmental for _five seconds_, we can explain all this to you! So just shut your ignorant mouths and listen for once in your lives instead of swinging your weapons at something!" he snapped. The army went silent. I never knew he could get that angry. He was pretty scary, though. Note to self: never make him mad.

"Thank you, Veshema. Anyway, as I was saying, yes. I am a vampire, and the Dragonborn, and the general. If you'll look behind you, you'll notice a much bigger threat to your survival than me" I said, feigning politeness and pointing to the dragons. They slowly turned around, stared at the dragons for a few moments then turned back around, none of them saying a word.

"We still do not have to obey you, monster" growled another Nord carrying a large steel war hammer. Others murmured in agreement or nodded their heads.

"Oh, really? How come?" I asked politely, despite that being called a monster really hurt. I may be different than most people...I may be a creature of the night...but I'm not a monster. Neither is Veshema, or anyone else with our...conditions.

"Because you're a vampire, that's why" he said angrily.

"Oh, so you're not going to listen to me because I'm a vampire? Please, enlighten me on the rules of war that say that's allowed" I said. The Nord tried to speak several times but clearly couldn't think of anything to say. Eventually, he just gave up and threw a silent tantrum to himself. "As I was saying, your real threat is not from me, it is from them. If I was going to kill you or drink your blood, I would have done so by now. It is not like any of you could stop me. However, besides the fact that I don't need to drink blood anymore, I will not do that because I am on your side. I want to defeat Alduin as much as you do, for the same reasons you do"

I continued, ignoring the quiet talking of some of the soldiers. "Do I not have loved ones to fight for? Do I not care about Skyrim, which has been my home for years? We are no different in goals so we cannot let our differences in race change that. We must fight together if we plan to beat the dragons. So, I will ask you. Will you fight with me to end Alduin once and for all?"

For a moment, nobody said anything or moved. Then, Aela raised her bow. "I will fight with you until the end, Dragonborn" she said loudly. Babette raised an Ebony Dagger.

"I will also fight with you, General Ma'shira" she said. Veshema raised his sword and said the same thing. Now it was just the main army. They were silent for a while, so much so that I could hear the large animals moving around half a mile away. Then, as one, they raised their weapons as well.

"We will fight alongside you, Dragonborn" they said in unison and not a moment too soon. Alduin decided to start. His dragons were already in the air and flying towards us, though rather slowly.

"Alright, it's time! Today, we defeat Alduin once and for all! The terror he brings will be stopped! This day will be remembered in history and us with it!" I called over the army. I unsheathed my sword and raised it to the sky. "Let's show these dragons that Skyrim is not to be messed with! _Onward, for Skyrim!_" I pointed my sword at the oncoming dragons. With a loud battle cry, the army advanced towards the dragons, weapons ready and faces determined. Veshema and I jumped down from the platform and joined them, beginning the battle that would determine the fate of not just Skyrim, but the whole world.


	16. Chapter 16

Author's note: Wow, getting close to the finish! It's about time. Reviews still welcome

The Greybeards lined up. "_Joor Zah Frul!_" they Shouted, aiming at a bronze dragon that had flown near them. A blue energy lighter than Unrelenting Force sped towards the dragon and hit it in the head. It began to glow blue, roaring loudly. It landed on the ground with such force that a small quake ensued. Immediately, I ran up to the dragon and before it knew what was happening, I jumped onto it and stabbed it through the head. The roaring ceased instantly and dark red blood gushed out of the hole once I pulled my sword out. As usual, the dragon's skin burned up, leaving only the bones. That weird white energy rushed into me and I shuddered slightly.

"Good work, Dragonborn" said one of the Greybeards, smiling at me. I shook off the feeling, smiled as well and sped off to help bring down the beasts. For a while, it seemed like we would win; dragons were brought down about once every minute and killed while we only lost a few warriors in an hour. However, Alduin kept bringing in reinforcements so it was like a never ending sea of dragons. We all began to get exhausted, even Aela and Veshema who were fighting in their wolf forms (I had made it clear that nobody was to attack them) and eating the hearts of the dragons to remain that way. Despite our massive stamina and power, we were not strong enough to defeat many by ourselves and the main army didn't do that much besides fire arrows and shout. Every so often they'd kill a dragon that the Greybeards forced to the ground but mostly, Veshema, Aela, the Greybeards, Babette and I were the only ones who really did anything. Babette flitted around, stabbing anything not on her side and cackling to herself like an insane old woman.

"You doing alright, Babette?" I asked her when we passed each other. She grinned, somehow not even out of breath.

"Of course. I am not a little girl, dear. You do not need to worry about me. I must say, I am getting a bit old for this...I think I chipped a nail a few minutes ago" she said, checking her nails and frowning. It was weird to hear a little girl say something like that but I did not comment on it. "Oh, here comes another one. Your turn, general" she pointed to a red dragon that had opened its mouth and aimed it at us. She winked and ran off quickly just as a large stream of fire shot at me. I raised Spellbreaker just in time. The fire passed around the shield but did not harm it or me.

"_Joor Zah Frul!_" I Shouted, proceeding to stab the lizard in the head. I stretched my arms, ignoring the white energy. "This is already getting old and it's only been two hours..." I sat down for a moment to rest and think about how to end this as quickly as possible. Nobody had died in the last hour so I figured that they'd be fine without me for a few moments.

A large black wolf as tall as me ran up and lay down beside me like a dog. It curled up, breathing heavily. I was wondering who it was when I saw that there were no scars. Its skin was perfectly smooth other than a few cuts or burns here and there, meaning it was not Aela. I smiled and scratched Veshema behind his ears, watching the battle. So far, we were still winning. The Greybeards were doing a great job of helping us and Aela often jumped into the air and brought down a dragon by herself, usually killing it. I assume she gouged out its eyes by the fact that I had found a few earlier that had bloody holes in place of eyes.

"It really is sad, Veshema...I don't understand why every creature can't live in peace. Why must we fight? What is the point? Why is killing someone or something worthy of bragging or praise? Should war heroes really be praised if they killed on purpose and not simply to survive? If so, why is one life more important than another? I just don't get it..." I said, smiling bitterly to myself. The large wolf stood up and howled. I stood as well.

"Yeah, yeah. I know. Let's just get this over with, right?" I sighed, still tired. The wolf licked my face gently. Somehow, that made my exhaustion leave completely. I hugged him like a person would hug a normal dog. "Thanks, Vesh. I needed that, though I have to admit, that was a bit odd. Well anyway, time to get back into the battle"

The next few hours passed without much happening. We killed many more dragons but for every one we killed, Alduin had at least two more replace it. By now, the mortal army was beginning to get exhausted. More and more of them were dying or being seriously wounded. Several times, I had to save one of them from being burnt to a crisp or frozen. At least they trusted me now but that didn't help much. It didn't allow me to save every soldier, much to my dismay.

I drew back from the battle once more, barely able to move. Veshema came over to me again and curled up like last time. If he wasn't as big as I was, I likely would have mistaken him for a dog. I pulled out a piece of bread from the small pouch on my side and ate it slowly, not really hungry but having to eat something. As I chewed on it, a loud voice boomed seemingly from everywhere. "Dovahkiin, I thought we had an agreement. Neither of us would fight unless it was against each other"

"Yes, and we also agreed to start in two days, not one" I said politely, knowing who it was right away. Alduin laughed.

"You have a point. Very well. Let us settle this right now, then. I will be there soon. Get ready, Dovahkiin" he said. I stood up and flung the bread away. I was certainly in no condition to do this but did I have a choice? By now I had realized that Alduin was very impatient and trying to avoid him would not end well so fighting was my only option.

Veshema stood as well and howled at the sky again. He looked as though he were about to fight something in front of him but I knew he was getting ready to fight Alduin. As much as I appreciated it and as much as I loved fighting with him beside me, this was my battle, not his. I couldn't risk him being killed.

"Vesh, listen to me. This is my fight. Let me handle it. I want you to get far away from here. Get everyone else away as well. This will be dangerous...please, do this for me" I said, hugging the wolf. He shook his head and licked my face, which I understood to mean "_I cannot do that. I love you too much to leave_"

"Veshema. Leave. Please, let me do it. I promise you I will not die. Now go" I said, smiling. After a few seconds, he nodded and ran off back to the main battle. I took a few breaths to calm myself down while I waited but it did not take long. It was a few minutes until the large black dragon appeared over me. Instantly, the sky turned blood red. Veshema seemed to have succeeded in getting everyone away from us as there was nobody in sight no matter where I looked. The beat of Alduin's wings caused a small tremor each time and a large gust of wind, nearly knocking me over. He stopped in the air, facing me. He was likely twice as big as a normal dragon and the deepest black I had ever seen. Large spikes rose from his back sharper than any weapon crafted my man or Daedra.

"Drem Yol Lok, Dovahkiin. I am Alduin. You have killed many of my brothers. Even if you were not Dragonborn, I cannot permit you to leave this field alive" he growled in his deep, thundering voice. He opened his mouth and shot a stream of fire at me. Somehow, Spellbreaker managed to stop the attack completely. "How did you...ah, you have that accursed _spaan_, that shield, Spellbreaker. I remember fighting against that many years ago"

"Oh, really? How interesting. Enough talk, though. Let's just get this over with" I said, pointing my sword at him. "Alduin, I will bring you down. No matter the cost, I will defeat you"

He laughed, the earth shaking at his voice. "Oh, really? You think a fifteen year old cub can beat the strongest _Dovah_ there is? Very well. We will talk no longer" he said. He roared into the air. Meteors began to fall from the blood red sky everywhere around me, exploding the second they touched the ground.

"_Dek Lan Soh!_" I Shouted. Even more meteors fell from the sky, though mine were bright blue instead of red like his. When they touched the ground, they burst into gigantic blue flames. Alduin was outraged.

"How did you learn to do that, Dovahkiin? I assume those meddlesome Greybeards taught it to you...they will be dealt with. As we speak, several of my strongest _Dovah_ are on their way to wipe out your army" he growled with satisfaction. This not only meant the Greybeards would be killed...but Aela, Babette...Veshema...they would all die as well. I could not let that happen.

"If you hurt them...I'll kill you quicker than you would kill a fox" I said quietly, looking at the ground. Alduin laughed again.

"Let us test that. You still have not seen what I am capable of" he roared, flying high into the sky. I had to work hard to avoid the meteors as well as the constant bursts of fire not only coming from them but also from Alduin. He seemed to have no trouble avoiding mine which stopped after a few minutes, as his did. Every few minutes, I had to use my Bats to escape being killed. Alduin constantly flew close to me in order to try and bite me, which was difficult to dodge. This was usually when I had to use the Bats. Whenever he did this, I tried to cut him with my sword but I only managed to hit him one time, only leaving a small scratch.

"_Joor Zah Frul!_" I Shouted when he was back in the air. The blue energy hit him in the chest. He roared in anger and flew to the ground, landing so hard it nearly knocked me over. I rushed at him and stabbed at his snout with as much force as I could gather. He moved his head and avoided it, snapping at me. My Bats carried me ten feet away, just barely out of his reach.

"Not bad, Dovahkiin. You fight well for your age. However, there is nobody left to help you and your exhaustion will be your undoing. Your friends are dying as we speak and you have no energy left to fight" he laughed. It was true; my arm was weak and despite my sword weighing almost nothing, it felt as though instead it weighed a hundred pounds. My breath was heavy and I could hardly get any air. I was sweating and hardly able to move. If I was not a vampire, I would have died from exhaustion a long time ago.

"...no. It is...not over yet...Alduin" I panted, sheathing my sword. I could think of no other alternative. The only way to beat Alduin now was to Shout him to Oblivion...but this would likely end with me being killed since the toll for such a powerful Shout would be death. However, I saw no other choice. Warm tears fell from eyes as I took a deep breath. "Goodbye, Veshema...I love you" I cried quietly as I began to speak in the Dragon Language, my last words before I ended our battle...and possibly our lives...forever.


	17. Chapter 17

**Veshema's POV**

I tapped Aela, who had reverted by this time, on the shoulder with my paw and drew in the dirt the words "Ma'shira battling Alduin. Get army far away" as fast as I could. It was difficult with a wolf's paw instead of a hand but she got the idea.

"Everyone, fall back! Follow me! General Ma'shira is battling Alduin! We must get out of his way!" she shouted. Immediately, what remained of the army (which was only Babette, two Greybeards, one of which was Arngeir, and about thirty soldiers) ran off in the direction she pointed. She ran with them but stopped once she saw I was not running as well. "What are you doing? Let's go!"

I shook my head and pointed my right paw to where Ma'shira was. In the distance, you could vaguely see a large black dragon flying down to meet him. For some reason, the sky turned red once the dragon had stopped in front of Ma'shira. Assuming this had something to do with Alduin, I ignored it and headed towards him. Aela put a hand on my back to stop me.

"What are you doing? You can't help him! Just keep out of the way" she said, trying to pull me away. I shook her off and howled, wishing I was able to speak in my wolf form. If I had to guess I only had a few more minutes like this but that was a few minutes too many. Thankfully, she understood. "Alright...go, but try to keep out of the way and do not distract him"

Without another thought, I ran to where the two were fighting. I stopped about fifty or so yards away and watched. If Ma'shira showed any signs of losing, I would do anything I could to help him and I don't care if I shouldn't get involved or whatever. Alduin shot a stream of fire at him, but he blocked it with Spellbreaker. In response, Alduin roared, causing giant meteors to shower from the sky. I was too far away for them to hit be but just barely. One exploded about twenty feet away and the fire missed me by about three inches. I backed up just as I reverted my form. It felt odd to have on armor again after all this time but I paid this no mind. All I could focus on was the battle going on in front of me.

Ma'shira shouted something that sounded like "_Dek Lan Soh!_" and blue meteors identical to Alduin's fell from the sky as well. Alduin growled and said something to him, to which he responded while looking at the ground. Judging by Ma'shira's reaction, I assume that whatever Alduin said was not a good thing. The black dragon roared once more and rose into the air, occasionally diving at Ma'shira and snapping at him. Sometimes, he simply jumped out of the way but other times he disappeared into a cloud of Bats to avoid him. There was only one time Alduin was hit but even then it seemed to be only a scratch. This continued for a long while, though Ma'shira never managed to hit the dragon again.

After a few more dives, Alduin began to laugh. He said something which prompted an odd reaction from Ma'shira; he sheathed his sword and took a deep breath. It looked a little as though he was crying but it was hard to tell from this distance. I couldn't take it anymore; I had to help him. I ran as fast as I could towards the both of them. By now, Ma'shira was chanting in the Dragon Language though I was still too far away to hear. Alduin opened his mouth again, a large fireball forming as big as a Giant.

"Ma'shira, watch out!" I shouted frantically. He stopped chanting, looked at me for a second then realized Alduin was about to torch him. He raised Spellbreaker just in time to block the fire as though he would block an arrow. The fire did not disperse, as I thought it would. Instead, it continued pushing against the shield. He put his other hand on the back of Spellbreaker and tried to push back. He slid back several feet, straining to keep the inferno away from him. I rushed forward and put my hands on the shield as well, trying to strengthen the ward. It would only protect against a certain amount of damage, assuming it was like most wards, and it was likely about to give when I reinforced it. The heat was already unbearable enough for me so I couldn't imagine what it was doing to him. With both of us pushing against it, the fireball was shot back towards Alduin who dodged it with ease.

"Who is this, Dovahkiin? Ah, he is Moonborn...is he your _brevak,_ your dog?" asked Alduin, laughing. Ma'shira rolled his eyes but otherwise ignored the dragon. He turned to me, looking fairly annoyed.

"What are you doing here? I told you to get away!" he growled.

"Like I'd ever leave you! Besides, you'd be dead now if it wasn't for me!" I growled back. I loved him but sometimes he just made me want to punch something...occasionally him, really.

He sighed. "You are right. Thank you" he said. He kissed me for a brief second then backed away a few paces. "Goodbye...Veshema. I love you"

"...huh?" I asked, confused. Goodbye? Why would he be saying that? Whatever it was, I realized that he must have a plan to kill Alduin...but doing it would kill him in the process. "Ma'shira, what are you doing?"

"_Cron vaek feh!_" he Shouted. I tried to take a few steps forward but I ran into some sort of invisible wall. No matter where I went to get around it, the wall prevented me from reaching him. My eyes filled with tears.

"Ma'shira, please...please don't do this" I cried desperately. He looked on the verge of tears himself but after a quick glance at me, turned to face Alduin looking determined. I attempted to destroy the wall in any way I could. Nothing worked; not fire, lightning, ice nor any other spell had any effect on it. My sword didn't do anything either. Both of them ignored me, Alduin taunting him about "his little pup being sad". Ma'shira ignored him, took one more look at me, and then began to chant in the Dragon Language again. This time, I could hear and understand him. Although he didn't know it, I paid attention in every one of his Dragon Language classes that I had been too. Although I didn't go to all of them, I had been to enough to be able to understand most basic things.

"_Alduin, Lein-Dravah, al do joorre, kos dram nol daar lein! Hiu slayekk ko Keizaal los maaz! Akatosh, hiu bormah, fen kos aan dralek wah hiu alaan! Nine Divines, hon kreas! Brenvah Alduin nol daar lein neh wah kos greyk nuhrean! Ko daal, dreh ol fin hind voth kreas! Krii ves ont ahrk fah pah! Alduin, faal sveyrnma hio vezek zen! Ol Dovahkiin, nii los kronisis bevohn wah krii fin ont ahrk fah pah! Zu fen dreh daar! Kos dram, Alduin, Lein-Dravah! Aal faal sveyrnma qenlas fin fah hiu yekan! FIN-KOS-RAK!_" he Shouted while blocking attacks with Spellbreaker. Alduin had just opened his mouth again when a white light surrounded him, nearly as bright as the sun.

"_What!?_" Alduin exclaimed angrily, the light becoming even brighter. Suddenly, the light seemed to explode while a strong wind blew through the area; Alduin was completely incased in white fire as his scales burst off his body, showing his black skin and veins. The dragon shot fire and ice at Ma'shira but he blocked every attack, each more desperate than the last. Finally, he gave up.

"_NO! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE!? CURSE YOU DOVAHKIIN! I WILL RETURN ONE DAY TO DESTROY YOUR ANCESTORS! I SWEAR IT!_" he yelled, his anger so great it was nearly contagious: I felt angry myself, so much so that I literally wanted to kill the first thing I saw. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, the anger fading away slowly. There was one last roar from the dragon and what sounded like another explosion. I opened them again to see that Alduin had vanished and the sky was blue once more.

"It's finally over..." I said, sighing with relief. Alduin was finally dead...let's hope it stays that way. It was then I remembered Ma'shira. I ran over to him frantically, hoping he was alright. He was lying down, facing the sky in his normal Khajiit form. His entire body was covered in burn marks and scratches and his armor was burned black near his chest. He was breathing heavily and looked very weak.

"...V...Veshema..." he said, barely audible. I knelt down and hugged him tightly.

"Don't talk...you need to save your energy" I said, trying to suppress tears. I tried to lift him onto my back but he wouldn't cooperate with me. He insisted on lying down.

"Please...I don't have much time left..." he said, even quieter than before. I couldn't help crying. He couldn't die, he's been through way too much...right? "Listen to me...I want you to have my circlet...as something to remember me by..."

I shook my head, tears falling onto his hurt body. "No, don't say that. You won't die...! You'll be fine!" I cried desperately. My tears fell harder, knowing what I said wasn't true.

"Veshema, please take it..." he said, his voice now more weak and feeble than before. After a moment, I nodded and took the golden circlet from his head and put it on. He smiled. "It...looks good on you..."

"Thank you...please, do not die...I can't live without you...I love you, Ma'shira..." I cried, tears now obscuring my vision. With a great effort, he sat up and kissed me, wrapping his arms around me. I did the same for him, my heart beating fast and my face red. My crying stopped instantly, his embrace calming me down quicker than anything or anyone else ever could.

"I love you, Veshema..." he said, lying back down again. "Do not ever forget that..." He closed his eyes and stopped moving. My eyes widened and tears started to fall again.

"No...no, you can't be dead...please, Ma'shira...wake up...! Please...!" I cried, looking for any sign that he was still alive. A pulse, breathing, temperature...none, none and he was cold. I immediately grabbed my sword and pointed it at myself, my arms just barely long enough to be able to point it at my chest. There was no way I was going to live without him. I couldn't do it...I couldn't...

"Lad, stop" said a gently voice from behind me. One of the soldiers that had gone with Aela was standing with his hand on my shoulder. He had a clean shaven face, somewhat of a rarity for older Nords, and was wearing glass armor.

"...I can't do it. I can't..." I cried. I was about to drive the sword into my chest when he pulled it away from me.

"Listen...I know it's hard...Aela told me about you two's relationship...she said she could sense it even though you never told her. In any case, he would want you to keep living...if you truly loved him, you'd do as he wanted and be happy" he said, smiling warmly like a father. I nodded and took my sword back, sheathing it.

"Thank you...what is your name?" I asked, wiping the tears from my eyes.

"Brenek. You are Veshema, correct?"

"...yes"

He smiled again. "In that case, Veshema, feel free to visit me in Whiterun if you ever stop by. I run the Bannered Mare. I can give you a good price for food and lodgings, if you need it"

Brenek walked off, leaving me alone. I still couldn't believe it...how could he have died? Then I remembered what he had said in the Dragon Language. Maybe that would tell me something. After thinking it over for a while, and trying to remember some words, I figured this was more or less what he said: "Alduin, World-Eater, destroyer of mortals, be gone from this world! Your time in Skyrim is over! Akatosh, your father, will be a witness to your destruction! Nine Divines, hear me! Take Alduin from this world never to be seen again! In return, do as you wish to me! Kill him once and for all! Alduin, the gods have turned against you! As Dragonborn, it is my job to kill you once and for all! I will do this! Be gone, Alduin, World-Eater! May the gods punish you for your deeds! YOU-ARE-BANISHED!"

So that was it...he had told the gods that if they killed Alduin for good, he would let them do as they wished...which was apparently kill him. That figures...I looked over at his body once more. I didn't notice it when he...died...but...he was smiling. I guess our kiss was the last thing he remembered...at least that made him happy.

A female Khajiit soldier ran up to me, looking frantic.

"By the gods...he's dead...I thought Brenek had been hit in the head or something..." she said quietly and placed a hand on my shoulder. "Veshema...that is your name, right? Are you ok?" she asked, concerned. I nodded but that was a lie; I felt as though there was a large hole in my heart and every beat of it felt like a dagger being driven into my chest. So, really, no. I wasn't ok. She probably knew I was lying but said nothing other than "...we must prepare his funeral. What happened to him?"

I explained everything that I knew from the beginning of their battle to how Ma'shira had sacrificed himself to kill Alduin. She was silent through the whole story.

"I see..." she said once I had finished. "He was brave...and that's not even close to describing him. Come, we must prepare the funeral. Khajiit must be buried a certain way. Otherwise, they will not gain entrance to the afterlife"

I sighed and nodded. She picked up Ma'shira's body and carried it back to camp. Over time, the remaining soldiers came back, all carrying bodies. Brenek carried the body of old Arngeir. He had burns all over him; his face was one giant burn mark and his robes were torn. The remaining Greybeard carried the body of the vampire girl, Babette, who had cuts and blood all over her. She too was covered in burns. The only other surviving soldier was carrying the body of Aela, who was nearly cut to shreds, though she only had a few burns. She had a large gash over her heart, which was likely what killed her.

"...how did they die?" I asked the Greybeard, who I passed while following the Khajiit soldier.

"...Arngeir...he...was killed...a golden dragon appeared and he tried to take it on by himself...it killed him...he Shouted too much and lost too much blood. The girl was killed while trying to fight two dragons at once...amazingly, she took down both but the toll was too great. She died soon after. Aela was killed by one of our own. He hated werewolves and thought he was doing us a favor by killing her. He gave her that mark on her chest but was then killed by a dragon" he explained sadly. I nodded, gave my condolences for him losing Arngeir and resumed following the Khajiit. She set him down inside one of the tents.

"He will wait here until the funeral is ready in one day" she said sadly. "It is a shame to loose someone as capable as him, especially a Khajiit and a cub at that..."

I muttered something under my breath and quickly excused myself, going back into the room inside Swindler's Den that I created for Ma'shira. As everyone who knew about its existence was now dead, I was guaranteed I'd be left alone. I needed to be alone right now...for a while anyway. It was when I sat down that it finally started to sink in. Babette...Aela...Arngeir...Ma'shira...they were all gone. I was alone for the first time in a long while...the only person I really had left was Dekath but I was in no mood to see him. Not anymore...

"...I'm sorry...all of you...I'm so sorry...I couldn't protect all of you...I'm sorry" I said to the air, pretending they could hear me. Tears fell once more, harder than ever. I fell out of my chair and onto the floor, still crying harder than I had ever cried.

"I can't take this anymore...!" I cried rather loudly to nobody in particular. I considered using my sword to end it all but I know Ma'shira wouldn't want me to die. Neither would Arngeir...or Aela...maybe even Babette. "I just want things to go back to the way they were...I can't take this..."

I continued crying for what seemed like hours but it was impossible to tell how long I was there. I just remained on the floor, the tears not stopping even once. Ma'shira was gone, and it hurt too much to think of it but I couldn't help it...I missed him terribly and had a feeling that the hole in my heart would never be mended...


	18. Chapter 18

Author's Note: After 75 pages it's finally the last chapter. To be honest, it's actually kind of weird to be done with the story. Thanks to everyone who read this and to everyone who reviewed. You guys were a huge help! ^_^ I hope this final chapter ties everything together well enough. I did my best, so I hope you like it. Anyway, I'm sure you're tired of my rambling by now. On with the last chapter to this long story.

The next few days passed in a blur. To be honest, I don't know how I didn't try to kill myself again. I guess that it finally got through my head that Ma'shira would want me to live and be happy. To be honest, I doubted I'd ever be happy again but I could try for him. I spent as much time as possible alone in that room I made, only leaving the cave to get food or something of the sort. Other than that, I stayed away from everyone else as much as possible until the day of his funeral.

By Khajiit custom, everyone at the ceremony wears their usual armor and their weapons. Ma'shira would be in the same armor he had died in. Although several healers had cleaned up his body beforehand, his armor was still torn and burned. Apparently, the worse off the armor, the higher status of a ceremony you were given. It showed how brave you were; the more marks, the harder you fought...or something like that. The Khajiit warrior I met tried to explain it to me but the fact that it was already confusing enough combined with that I could barely think anymore made it so that I hardly understood a word.

"You did not understand a word I just said, did you?" asked the woman. I shook my head.

"No...I'm sorry...I've just been thinking a lot lately" I mumbled.

"About what? Talking about it may help, you know" she said, placing a hand on my shoulder.

"Something Alduin said...he said "I will destroy your ancestors" but...Ma'shira was only fifteen and his parents are dead. As far as I know, he was an only child as well so he doesn't have any ancestors but I doubt Alduin would say something like that for no reason. How is that possible? Also, he-never mind..." I said, cutting myself off, remembering that Khajiit don't approve of homosexuality. I was going to make a reference to being closer to Sanguine upon his death but that might not end well.

"He what? If there's something wrong, you need to tell me" she said gently. I sighed. I might as well tell her, right? It's not like it'll make any difference at this point.

"...Ma'shira was my boyfriend. He said that being gay brings you closer to Sanguine when you die. I'm worried his soul was taken by him instead of going to...wherever it is you go when you die" I said, the thought of it almost bringing me to tears again. I thought she would be mad or upset or something like that. Instead, she smiled.

"Do not worry, child. The gods reward those who are honest and do not hide their true selves. They would not let him fall into the hands of a Daedra as long as he is given a proper ceremony. Speaking of which, it is about to start. As his boyfriend, you should say something. Normally, only Khajiit can say anything but as you were close to him, there can be an exception. Come, let us begin" she smiled again and stood up, leading me out of the tent and to the center of the camp. The remaining soldiers, all in their armor, were gathered around a large, white table of seemingly made of marble or some such material (I guessed it was made by magic) that was standing on a wooden platform. There were also several other people wearing hoods who I recognized as the Volkihar Vampires and a few others, most likely from other cities and all Khajiit. Ma'shira's body was lying on the table, his hands by his sides. I noticed that his sword was gone. I asked the Khajiit woman where it was but she said he never had one. When she took him from the plains to the camp, he had no weapon on him. I started to insist that he had one but knew that it wouldn't help anything to argue at this point and turned to face the table. The woman stepped onto the platform and looked towards the sky.

"Alkosh, another brave soul has been returned to your side! We on this mortal world shed tears for his passing but find joy in knowing he is with you!" she said. She then went on to explain everything that made him great and to pray for the gods Alkosh, Khenarthi, Margus and some others to give him safe passage to the afterlife but that didn't mean much. She didn't know him. She didn't know how nice he was, or how brave he really was, or how he cared so much about people. She only knew what she had been told. Was she wrong? No, not at all. She did not really know about him though and had no idea what made him the amazing person he was. After about twenty minutes, she stepped down. As nobody else knew him at all, I was the only one who could say anything. I took her place and felt slightly uncomfortable having all these people staring at me. I took a deep breath to calm myself and began.

"...you said Ma'shira was an amazing person...he was brave, great...all of those things are true, yes...but none of you knew him as I did. I was Ma'shira's boyfriend. I am not ashamed to admit it" I added, due to the obvious sudden tensing of the Khajiits, "and I know he would not be ashamed of it either. He was the most caring person I have ever met. He only killed when strictly necessary such as protecting someone and even then, he hated doing it. He was willing to do anything he had to as long as it made someone happy. That is the reason he's dead. He sacrificed himself so that Alduin would be brought down for good. He knew perfectly well that he would be killed but he did it anyway because he knew that it was the only way to stop him. He was brave and caring, yes but he was so much more than that...he was funny, smart, a great friend...an amazing boyfriend...everything about him was great. I could go on for hours about things he's done or something like that, but I won't. Instead, I'll finish my short speech by saying this: whenever you think of greatness...bravery...a true friend and warrior...remember Ma'shira, the last, and greatest, Dragonborn"

I ignored the stares of everyone and stepped down. The Khajiit woman stepped up once more.

"Thank you, Veshema. Well, that is all. I will bury him myself. Any Khajiit that wants to attend the burial may do so, but only Khajiits can attend by custom. Afterward, any of you may visit his grave" she said, picking up his body and walking back to the plains. I went back to the cave, only responding with short answers whenever someone tried to talk to me. I was in no mood to speak with anyone, at the very least until I visited his grave...

I waited in the room for several hours, practicing magic to give myself something to do and to get my thoughts away from everything. It worked to some degree, especially when I was unable to perform a specific spell. I could never get the hang of changing the shape or direction of fire for some reason. However, my thoughts soon shifted away from magic every time, no matter what. I finally couldn't take it anymore and left the cave. By now, the sun was setting and the soldiers were gathered around the fire, drinking mead and laughing. I ignored them, not sitting down with them as they asked, and went to where I had seen the woman bring his body. The grave was about five minutes away by walking. A large, grey stone stuck out of the ground, surrounded by round rocks with the words "Let all who live remember the name of Ma'shira, who gave his life in return for Alduin's downfall" inscribed on it.

"...you lied..." I said quietly, looking down and tears falling once again onto his grave. "You promised me you wouldn't die...and now look...what am I supposed to do with you, Ma'shira?" I knew it was stupid to talk as though he was there with me but I couldn't help it. I wasn't thinking clearly, so pretty much anything made sense at that point. Then, I looked up and saw something I couldn't quite explain. Ma'shira was sitting on one of the rocks in front of me, still in his Vampire Armor. He was smiling and he looked healthier than ever, as though the battle had never happened. I closed my eyes and shook my head, sure I was hallucinating. When I opened them again, he was gone. I smiled and wiped away the tears, looking up at the orange sky.

"Thanks, Ma'shira...one day, we'll see each other again" I said as though he could hear me. Call me crazy, but I had an odd feeling he could. A soft breeze blew through the area, cooling down the hot air. A few small animals moved around and the wind rustled the grass. It was completely silent other than those faint sounds, giving a sense of tranquility and calming me down immensely. "Be it when I'm dead or by some other circumstance...we will meet once more...and always remember...I love you"


End file.
